The Big Payback
by Semajic
Summary: Hardison is haunted by the job that nearly cost him his life and took away the rest of his team. He wants answers and revenge in the worst way.
1. Chapter 1

The icy wind whipped over his face, slicing his cheeks with the efficiency of a thousand miniature knives, but he felt nothing.

"Turn left at Clancy Street 0.7 miles." The automated voice droned in his ear as a holographic map flicked to life on the visor of his helmet just large enough to fit over his left eye.

"Close," he instructed firmly and the image disappeared as quickly as it had opened.

His leather covered knuckles gripped the accelerator of the 600lb beast he was astride. He rode the machine as deftly as if it were an extension of his own body. He called her Lulu. She was a hybrid of the finest vehicular engineering and computer technology that had ever been created, and she was the closest thing to a team that Alec Hardison had left.


	2. Chapter 2

He leaned his body to the left as he wound his way between two slow moving cars and the pinch in his side reminded him. A vision of pale, slender fingers gently navigating the tender skin at his side flashed quickly into his mind and just as quickly faded away.

He thought that he had placed that memory far away- tucked it away with joy, and laughter and thoughts of a makeshift band of crooks who became a family, and any and all thoughts of love. There was no more of that now. There was just him…well, him and Lulu.

He shook his head and blinked against the uncomfortable feeling of sneaking emotions. This wasn't the time to be distracted. He had to be fully focused. He was on a job, the same job that had almost cost him his life three years ago.

Another lean to the left to guide the bike, another pull from the long-healed wound at his side as if calling for him to remember.

"_You're bleeding Hardison."_

"_I'll be fine Parker. Let's just concentrate on getting out of here."_

_The feel of the torn and burning flesh that ran the length of his left side was mind- numbingly painful but he wouldn't allow himself to give in, not yet. _

_Parker bit her lips in concern but she had to agree with him, they had to get out and fast. _

_She folded the file and tucked it into the waist at the back of her pants before she turned and pointed toward a black hole in the wall ahead of them. _

"_There," she instructed quietly and made her way toward the narrow opening, "this is the only way left."_

_Alec half walked, half ran behind Parker as she eased along the wall to look inside the hole for any trouble. It was clear. Thankfully a little luck came their way; walking out the front door of the building as they'd initially planned was definitely off the table. _

_A simple extraction job had gone horribly awry. Nate and Sophie were stuck on the top floor, Eliot was punching his way through a lobby filled with highly motivated guards and he and Parker were stuck trying to make a way out of thin air while he was slowly bleeding to death from a gaping hole on his side that felt like it was growing with every step he took. He swallowed a groan even as the pain compelled some kind of reaction. He couldn't give in to the blissful unconsciousness that was calling him. He wouldn't do that to Parker. _

_As though she heard her name in his thoughts, she turned to him._

"_Hardison," she whispered urgently when she saw that his eyes were squeezed shut against the pain. _

_She reached out to touch him and the soft, moisture where his shirt stuck to his skin made her retract her hand as if she'd touched electricity. _

"_Is this blood," she asked rhetorically. She knew the answer immediately as she looked at the palm of her hand and even in the darkness she could see the syrupy consistency. An unhealthy amount of his blood dripped sinisterly from her wrist and real panic shadowed Parker's face for the first time that unfortunate evening._


	3. Chapter 3

Parker's face. He hadn't consciously thought of her face for a long time. He tried to avoid thinking of her altogether if he could help it. He remembered how he dreamed of her face every night. He would dream of her eyes and her nose and her mouth. He would ache inside from wanting to touch her and knowing that he never would again. He would play old recordings of her voice and stare at her photo until he thought he was going to lose his mind but it wasn't the same as really hearing her or really seeing her- seeing the light bouncing off of her skin, feeling the warmth radiating from her as she sat next to him. It wasn't the same. It would never be the same again.

"Hastings Institute 0.3 miles," Lulu's GPS called his attention to the immense, white building ahead and to his right.

A holographic blue print of the building flickered into his visor.

"Close," he called again.

This was one building he knew by heart. He knew every turn, the location of every camera, every sensor, vent and tunnel. In the three years since he'd last been inside that place and left nearly a pint of his blood in its bowels, he learned all that he could about Hastings Institute and Holdings. He had learned that quite a bit more happening within its walls than Personnel training. Henry Hastings, the institute's founder and CEO had his hands in every form of illegal activity, and his reach was global. Alec also learned that Nate and the crew had been hired for a job that was actually an ambush. They were never meant to succeed, and they certainly weren't meant to make it out.

"_Come on," Parker urged softly and tenderly, in a very un-Parker-like way._

_She eased her arm around his waist and grabbed a hold of his belt to avoid his injured left side. She leaned away from him to lift some of his weight onto her back as she pulled him along the tight tunnel._

"_Don't worry Park, I won't die on you if that's what you're worried about," he said and forced a smile with levity he didn't feel. _

_He wanted her to focus on getting out, with or without him and he knew she would never go if she thought he wouldn't be able to make it. Their relationship was strange but he knew her well enough to know that Parker was loyal to a fault. She would drag him if she had to. She would forget her survival instinct to travel fast and light and she would get caught. If the time came for them to part he hoped he'd be able to convince her, otherwise he would pull himself along by his fingernails before he let anything happen to her._

_His blood-soaked pants felt as though they weighed a million pounds. He knew he couldn't remain standing much longer; his left leg was near dead as it was and Parker was all but carrying him. _

_Damn, she really was a strong little thing, wasn't she? _

_Even in his dazed state he could appreciate the woman beside him. His gaze caught the way her hair seemed to glow even in the near blackness of the tunnel. He knew that's why she always wore a black hat on jobs- with her near platinum hair she would stand out like a beacon. He looked at her profile and the way the tip of her nose curved up ever so slightly and the way her lips pursed even when she didn't know she was doing it. He loved her. He really loved her. He wondered why he'd never said it; why he hadn't told her. Then he reasoned that he always thought there would be time. _

_He wondered if he would die on that night, in that tunnel, never having told her how he felt. _

_No. _

_He stopped moving and realized he was still being dragged along the tunnel. Parker was dragging him as easy as a bag of laundry. _

"_Parker, wait." His own voice sounded strange to his ears. It was whisper soft and ragged against the dryness of his throat. He tried to swallow but his mouth felt heavy and alien, nothing was cooperating. And he was still moving. _

"_Parker!" he called harder this time, more urgent. _

_She stopped and turned to look at him, alarm widening her hazel eyes. _

"_What? Am I hurting you?" she responded and loosened her hold on him. The slight release was enough for his body to collapse under its own weight. Parker scrambled to lift him back up but he stopped her. _

"_What are you doing? We have to go," she reached for him again desperation and panic making her yell at him despite the fact that they were trying to be discreet. "Let me help you."_

_He could hear the frantic pitch of her voice. _

"_No," he said as he held her hands with the last bit of strength he felt he had. He held her firmly and forced her to look into his eyes. "No," he said again and she understood that he meant for her to leave him. _

_Parker swallowed hard as a rush of saliva filled her mouth and tears sprung loose immediately. She brushed them away impatiently, "Hardison get up, I'm not leaving you here." _

"_I've been shot Parker. I think I got hit at least two times." _

_She was crying in earnest then and shaking her head in defiance of the meaning of his words. _

"_Stuff's broken, and I've lost a lot of blood. You have to go on without me." _

_His own eyes filled with tears. She stooped at his side and lifted the shirt to touch the torn and tender skin beneath. _

"_No," she repeated. "I can't leave you. That's not what we do. We don't leave." _

_He reached up and touched her face. "I love you, Parker." _

"_No, don't you dare do that," she screamed, "don't you give me that goodbye confessional crap." _

_She pulled away from his touch and he could see the torment on her face. She looked like a child who just found out on Christmas morning that Santa Claus wasn't real. He loved that face. He loved everything about it. _

"_Please. You can still get out of here. I can't go any further and I'm slowing you down," he begged her and she threw her hands to her face. _

"_Hardison…I…can't," she managed to get out between deep sobs. _

_The fight had finally left her body. She lifted her face to look at him again. He was fading. His eyes were half closed and his breathing was shallow. _

"_Hardison?" she called him softly. Her chest seized with the thought that he had left her. _

"_I'm still here," he replied and she exhaled the breath she didn't realized she'd been holding. _

_She leaned close to him, "You told me you'd always have my back," her tears splashed to the top of his hand. His eyes opened fully but he struggled to focus. _

"_You can't leave me." Her voice was so small. _

_The last bit of life left in him wanted to grab her and make every bad thing that ever happened to her go away but there wouldn't be time. He felt himself slipping away and he knew it was only a matter of time before she would be trapped too. _

"_I would never leave you. I'll be the sexy ghost in the corner always making sure you're not getting into too much crazy. Cause you know how you do Parker." _

_She didn't smile, as he'd hoped. She just stared deeply into his eyes more intensely than she ever had before. _

"_I do…" she started before she stopped herself. He blinked and the act spurred her to finish, "I think I… no, I do." _

_He didn't understand, "You do?" he repeated, hoping she would explain._

"_I have feelings…for you...Love type feelings." _

_Her words warmed him. He could see it in her eyes as she looked at him just then but to have to actually say the words spoke volumes. _

"_I love you too Parker." _

_He felt a surge of strength and he lifted his hand to once again touch her face. He stroked her tear-streaked cheek and ran his thumb along her lower lip. _

"_I'm really sorry it took me so long," she awkwardly apologized and he smiled in spite of it all. _

_That was a very Parker-like thing to say. He'd miss that. He eased his fingers into her hair and pulled her toward him as he leaned himself in to kiss her one last time. Their lips touched and he tasted the salty sweet of her tears. He realized with a bitter hitch, that although they'd kissed each other countless times for con jobs that was actually their first real kiss. And it would be their last. _

_He broke the kiss and leaned back against the wall of the tunnel, the very last of his energy totally exhausted. _

"_No," she half cried, half pleaded. Then she bargained, "No… I'm going to go but I'm not leaving you. I'm going to get Lucille and I'm going to get you out of here. We don't leave each other." _

_Alec shook his head weakly, to tell her no, but it was too late. She ran away from him and his gaze followed her until the blackness swallowed the silver glow of her hair. _


	4. Chapter 4

He drove past Hastings Institute and pulled into the lot of a building a half a block away. He knew he couldn't approach them head on. If he had learned anything from the last time, it was that. He punched a few keys on Lulu's flip down keyboard and a holographic timer faded up into his visor. He estimated he had 30 minutes to get in and get out before the bug he uploaded into the Hastings security system was discovered and eliminated, and he was found out.

He adjusted the neck of his jacket against the cold and grabbed his small rucksack before he walked casually into the alley between the two buildings that shared the parking lot. So far, so good.

It was well past office hours and he knew that in that particular neighborhood a man on a slick black motorbike wearing black leather and a helmet would stick out like a sore thumb but the sensors in his helmet didn't pick up any activity or prying cameras so he knew he was still undetected.

He made his way to the basement of one of the buildings and picked the lock with a practiced ease. He was using Parker's old pick set and they never failed him. He felt the give as the lock surrendered and with another quick look-around to make sure he was unseen, Alec slipped into the underground access. In his research of Hastings he discovered something that no one had paid enough attention to- all of the buildings in that particular area were one part of one large government campus. They were all connected by an underground passage that was sectioned and sealed off when the buildings were sold to private owners. He was able to find where the passages were and devise a direct access route into Hastings. He kicked himself when he discovered this passage a year ago. Why didn't he do more background on the company when Nate suggested the job; why didn't he invest a little bit more time in securing their entrance and exit strategy; why didn't he force himself to stay with her?

_He knew he had slipped into unconsciousness and he wondered if he was dead and the blackness around him was his afterlife. It didn't look or feel like heaven. Then a thought occurred, "Aww man, I didn't make it to heaven?"_

_The quick clapping of footsteps hitting the damp tunnel floor broke through his unconsciousness. He realized then that he wasn't dead, but he couldn't open his eyes. _

"_Hardison," Parker's desperate whisper stirred him to life again. Why did she come back? He tried to open his eyes or his mouth to ask her but summoning the energy seemed to be a Herculean task. _

"_Alec," she called again as she stooped beside him to touch his face. He could barely feel her touch against his skin. He didn't feel the pain anymore either and he knew enough to know that meant he didn't have much time left but he had to tell her to leave him. _

"_Parker, you have to go." The words were strong and firm… and trapped in his mind. The energy to get them out of his mouth just wasn't there. "Leave me and save yourself, Parker…Please." Silence. _

_He felt the slight pressure at his throat as she checked his pulse. Dammit why couldn't he just tell her to go? _

"_Ok." The faint bit of life she felt in him reassured her. She reached to lift his right arm over her shoulders. "Alec…" she called him between her attempts to secure his weight, "I know you can hear me. We're going to do this together. The tunnel ends just ahead and Lucille is right outside." _

_He wanted to scream, he wanted to yell at her, even cuss her out for her stubbornness but most of all he wanted to open his damned eyes. He could feel himself slipping into deeper unconsciousness but a light hit the closed lid of his eyes. He felt Parker tense. Shouts. Screams. Streaking lights. An explosion. The faint smell of gun powder. And he felt himself fall. _

"_PARKER." He screamed her name in his head when he no longer felt her beside him. His concern for her greater than any worry or pain he felt for himself. _

_The streaking lights steadied as their glare intensified on his face. It was hard to breathe but all he thought about was her._

_He felt a thump at his feet and heard an unfamiliar voice. _

"_We have the last two," the voice spoke aloud and a scratchy electronic tone hummed after- he was speaking into a comm. _

"_Where is Parker?" he thought as panic gripped him. _

"_Dammit Hardison, open your eyes." He chided himself._

"…_Yes…I have her…Send a team." The man ordered and a chill ran down Alec's back. _

_DAMMIT. OPEN YOUR EYES. He screamed at himself and summoning the last bit of fire he had left, he opened his eyes. _

_There, beside him, just beyond his reach, the most beautiful pair of hazel eyes stared blankly over at him-open but not seeing, never seeing ever again; a thin trickle of blood streaking her forehead from a small hole, her hand angled toward him, reaching for him one last time._

_No. His body had been broken but his heart and soul gave out as he stared into her unseeing eyes. _

_He couldn't do anything but stare at her. His beautiful thief. He felt himself slipping into the black unconsciousness but he didn't want to leave her. He inched his hand over to hers until he could touch her at last. And then Alec surrendered. There was nothing left to hold on for. He heard the splashing, slapping march of people approaching them even as the darkness slowly took him away. Alec Hardison was dead. _


	5. Chapter 5

The chill he felt as he entered the underground passageway had more to do with his body's reaction to being in that place again than it had to do with any physical discomfort. The memory of that horrible night- when he almost died, when he lost Parker, it all came back to him in a rush as he stepped over the threshold to the basement.

He secured the rucksack and followed the path he'd memorized. There was no time to waste. The clock display on his visor registered 25:28. He quickened his pace and within three minutes, he'd found the sealed metal door that lead to the Hasting's tunnels. He applied a hasty smattering of conducting gel and strategically placed a few electro-charges. With little more than a relatively quiet gust of air, he gained his access. Alec inhaled a deep breath and let it out slowly- it was time for the hard work to begin.

"_Man, that light is bright!" _

_That was his first thought as his eyes registered the painful overexposure of waking up after several days of total oblivion. It was his first conscious thought before he realized he was bandaged from head to foot and hooked up to an impressive assortment of beeping, whizzing, whirring, humming machines. _

_Coherence was slow but in the few minutes it took for his fog to lift, the whirlwind of thoughts slammed into him with the force of Eliot's fist. He remembered the black tunnel and he remembered the pain that felt as though it would tear him in two…and he remembered Parker's still, lifeless eyes. _

_His breathing sped up and he could hear the alerting beep of one of the machines. _

"_Where's Parker," his frantic thoughts screamed as his eyes darted left and right but no words left his throat and his head wouldn't move. He was intubated and held firmly in place by his bandages. _

_Movement to his right caught his attention. _

"_It's okay Sir. Don't move. You're safe and you'll be okay." _

_He couldn't see the woman because she wasn't in his line of sight, but her voice was reassuring. It reminded him of his Nana. That small comfort was enough to make him slightly less panicked._

_He felt the woman's warm fingers gently squeeze his hand and he tried to squeeze back. The effort alone weakened him and he felt sadness settle over him like a second skin. He wondered how he'd survived and how he ended up at a hospital. He was alone. He was battered and beaten and less than he was. His thoughts went to the rest of the team- Nate and Sophie and Eliot; his family. He wondered what happened to them; if they were safe. He wondered when he'd be able to find them. _

_Then he thought of Parker and tears rolled freely out the corners of his eyes. _

_His mind returned to a day that they'd recently spent together. That day she didn't think of casing banks or galleries, she just enjoyed walking and talking with him. Their conversation consisted mostly of Parker's strange observations about people and places but it was a wonderful summer's day and they were walking down the main street of a tiny town in the middle of nowhere, together. They were among regular people going about their regular day and Alec cherished it because he hadn't felt regular in a very long time. Parker wore a beautiful blue dress because Sophie made her, and she left her hair hanging loose so when the wind picked it up, it would dance. Her cheeks were flushed from the warmth and her eyes sparkled when they caught the sun. And when the soft breezes spun around her she would look like something magical and free. _

_That evening she linked her arm with his and chatted about the sunset and how the colors reminded her of paintings that she'd 'collected' and how the artwork didn't do it justice. She told him thank you when he walked her to her room and smiled at him as she said they had to do it again. And then she punched him playfully on his arm because anything else would have been un-Parker. _

_As he lay in that hospital bed he didn't know how or if he'd ever be physically healed but in that moment he couldn't imagine ever loving anyone ever again. _

Alec's steps were light and fast. He rounded a corner and was nearly seen by a guard who was doing an early perimeter sweep. The time on the visor read 23:05. It was time for a preemptive strike. He didn't want to attract any attention that early but, his time was waning and he couldn't wait the guard out. He reached inside his jacket and pulled loose a small pen-sized device and pointed it at the guard. A tiny red light beamed on the man's chest and when Alec squeezed the lever the guard collapsed instantly, alive by out cold.

Alec saw the small black plug in the man's ear and inspiration spurred him over to the man's side. He slowly passed the pen device over the man's ear and waited for confirmation.

"Communication device online," Lulu's automated voice assurered before Alec stepped over the man and headed toward the kitchens. With the comm link established he would be able to hear everything they said. The time on the visor said 21:47. He was still making good time but he there was still a lot to do and time was moving fast.

He entered the basement stairwell that lead to the kitchen area and a sudden rush of anxiety momentarily crippled him as images flashed into his head; images of the team entering Hastings Institute, the blue flashing light that began to spin as the security sensors went off, running into the stairwell just as the guard fired several rounds at him, his handful of blood as he realized he'd been shot…Parker's face.

He stopped for a second to steady himself. He anticipated some sort of reaction as he returned to Hastings but the pain felt as fresh as if it had all happened the day before. He wondered if avoiding his grief for three years had been a wise decision.

_His hand holder, Sylvia stayed with him that night and for many nights after. He learned that she was a Comfort Volunteer at the hospital. She spoke like his Nana but that's where the similarity ended. Sylvia was the gentlest woman he'd ever known. She looked like Mrs. Claus and she had the sweetest disposition. It was as though he was sent his own personal angel to help him heal. _

_He didn't tell her his real name and he didn't correct her when she told him she thought he'd been hit by a car. He thought the less she knew about him the neater the entire thing would be. She made him eat his vegetables and snuck gummy frogs into the hospital to reward him for pushing himself in physical therapy. She didn't know that the real reason he pushed himself so hard was so that he would be able to hasten his return to Hastings Institute and get answers. _

_He stayed in the physical therapy room working out long after everyone else had left. His regimen was so grueling that within three months of being dumped on the hospital's front step, he was once again walking on his own, after the doctors told him he would most likely never even stand on his own again. The nurses called it a miracle. Alec called it the ultimate con. He convinced his body that he was well and ready to leave. _

_Sylvia would often tell him she'd never seen anyone with the drive he had. She kept asking him how he remained so focused and he would simply tell her, "There are things to do Syl." Then he would smile his brilliant smile and she would smile back at him and shake her head and say no more. He couldn't tell her about the pair of hazel eyes that always awaited him when he rested._

_His left lung would stay damaged but his three broken ribs, perforated spleen, and the other injuries were repaired and he was able to leave the hospital far earlier than anyone projected. He had to leave Sylvia too. Their goodbye was bittersweet. She felt like the last remnant of humanity that he had left. Everything else about his life felt cold and devoid of color and light, but he had to let her go. There were things to do._

_He left the city almost as soon as he left the hospital. He relocated to one of his safe houses and there he continued his recuperation and planned his revenge. The anger consumed him but the sadness nearly sent him insane. _

_He used all the resources available to find the team or even to figure out what happened to them after they were discovered at Hastings but there were dead ends everywhere he looked. To his mind chances were slim that Nate, Sophie and Eliot were still alive but if they were, they had dropped off of the grid. _

19:00. His visor flashed and a soft toned alarm brought him back to the present.


	6. Chapter 6

"Dammit, Hardison. Focus."

He reached into the rucksack and pulled out a small silver disc that looked like a very expensive hockey puck. He mounted the devise on the wall of the stairwell and made his way up and into the kitchen.

He cleared the second aisle of ovens when, out of nowhere, a kick to the stomach sent him reeling backwards a couple of steps. He recovered quickly and squared up to face his attacker. The menacing hiss of a quickly wielded blade made Alec rethink his advance. His attacker was several inches shorter but he was stocky and he whipped his weapon about like someone well versed in street fighting. Alec crouched low and moved to his left. "What would Eliot do?" he asked himself but he didn't have time to resurrect any of the moves the hitter had taught him. The attacker lunged and nearly connected with Alec's chest. He kept moving to his left, keeping the attacker moving with him but he ran out of room as he was backed against the line of ovens. Alec had to stop moving and the man attacked, twisting and turning the blade, hoping to land something solid. He caught Alec's arm and he smiled grimly as Alec recoiled. The knife tore straight through the plush leather of his jacket and left a shallow slice from his elbow to middle of his left arm.

Alec pulled back for a brief moment in reaction before he regained his footing.

He was bleeding and the encounter was getting noisy. He couldn't afford noisy.

"Enough," he thought as he rammed the man head on, blocking and shielding the knife contact until he got close enough to grab the man's arms and deliver a bone-crunching head-butt with his helmet. The man dropped the knife to grab his face as he stumbled backward but Alec didn't give him a chance to recover. He delivered a succession of thumping blows to the man's chest, stomach and then face with machine gun precision. The final head turning delivery knocked the man off his feet and to the floor with a sickening thud. And Alec, without missing a beat ducked out of the kitchen worried that his cover had been blown.

He scanned the lobby for signs that an assault team had been notified but he exhaled a reassured breath when he didn't see anyone or hear any alerts sounding on the comms.

He caught the time on the visor- 12:27.

"Dammit."

He knew he was supposed to be further along. He should have been making his way out of the building by that time.

He ran back through the kitchen and into the service stairwell leaving another silver disc on the wall between the first and second floors before he was standing at last behind the access door to the second floor.

He touched the door and remembered the last time he stood in that archway he was running for his life and collected two bullets in his side for his trouble. He blinked the memory away and pulled out the pen device and scanned the access pad to gain his entry. The door opened with a beep that was a little too loud for his liking and he stuck his head into the hallway.

He was almost there.

He entered the hallways and wound his way down the hallway to the third office on the right. The sign on the door read ACQUISITIONS and Alec knew that's where he needed to go. He scanned the door's access pad with his trusted pen device and slipped in effortlessly. He secured the lock of the room and turned to survey the file cabinets, computers and other carelessly arranged artifacts assembled in the neglected room before he settled on the object that had lured him back.

Alec passed the computers and the cabinets without so much as a sidelong glance. He walked directly toward the wall at the far end of the office and the golden-framed, 8x10 photograph that hung there. The photo was of six men dressed in army fatigues, armed to the teeth, dirty and smiling as they posed casually atop a mound of dirt.

Alec recognized one of the men immediately as Henry Hastings in his younger days as an Army Ranger but the other men in the photograph were the ones who caught his attention. One of the men was Randolph Lamb. A young Lieutenant at the time the photo was taken Lamb had since risen to the ranks as one of the most ruthless and most well-known arms' dealers in the world. The other man Alec recognized was Richard Andrew Sinclaire, then, a Lance Corporal in the service but he since hung up his fatigues for designer suits. Sinclaire was being fast tracked to be the next President of the United States.

On their first jaunt into Hastings institute the team was supposed to secure a file which listed the payments Hastings made to several drug cartels but while the file was uploading the golden framed photo caught Alec's attention. There was something very familiar about the image of the smiling soldiers but in the urgency of the job he didn't have the time to figure it out. He didn't put the pieces into place until much later- after it was already too late. He realized then that they couldn't have gone after a man like Henry Hastings head on; Hastings and men like him could only be taken down by the same system they manipulated into protecting them.

Alec reached for his rucksack but a slight movement in the corner of his eye made him freeze.

"I knew you'd come back, Alec."

The hair on the back of his neck stood on end and his stomach knotted immediately. He knew that voice. He turned slowly to face the shadowed figure in the corner of the room.

"Hello."

He stood in quiet disbelief as his mind raced back to three years ago and through everything he thought he knew then and now.

"How could it be?" He questioned himself. "Sylvia?"

His comfort volunteer; his friend; the woman who reminded him of his Nana was standing before him with a coldly satisfied look on her face.

But he didn't have time to process the why's and how's.

The door to the office opened and what he saw made the muscles in Alec's chest clench.

There, bathed in backlight streaming into the office from the hallway, stood a figure he would recognize anywhere, one he hadn't seen in three years, one he knew he'd never see again.

The alarm on his visor sounded as the time registered and began flashing red- 00:00.

The blue lights of the wall sensors began spinning all around them but he couldn't take his eyes off of her.

"Parker," he said her name out loud. He was staring at the same hazel eyes that once haunted his dreams but they looked back at him with icy intensity, as though he were a stranger.


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you all for reading, reviewing, and getting alerts- and thanks so much, Megan for being the first reviewer and for giving me the encouragement to keep the story going. I love Parker and Hardison too so this has been a really fun exercise. I think a few people weren't too pleased by the tone of the first four chapters but I promise there's a lot more to be revealed and it won't all be doom and gloom.**

**I hope you all keep reading and letting me know what you think. **

**Cheers.**

**PS- I am in no way affiliated with the show, the actors, or crew. I do not own Leverage.**

* * *

><p>Every thought, every plan of action he had for the job flew out of his mind as he looked at her.<p>

She was dead. He knew she was. He felt her fall- saw her die- looked into her eyes and saw no sign of life registered back at him. How could it be that she was standing in front of him looking as alive as he was?

"I know what you're thinking…"

Sylvia. He'd almost forgotten she was there too. An instant, rabid anger churned his stomach and filled his mouth with bile.

How could he have been so stupid? He'd been around long enough to know that no one was that nice. No one cared so much so fast. He should have kept he guard up. He should have questioned more and opened his heart less.

"This doesn't have to be one sided," she continued silkily, and he heard the thundering procession of approaching guards. He was cornered and he knew he literally had seconds to tip the scales in his favor before he would be beyond help.

"We can help each other," Sylvia offered and took a step toward the door, and Parker.

His attention once again shifted to Parker. He knew she couldn't see him clearly. The office was dark, his face was shielded by his helmet and visor and the blue swirling lights of the sensors didn't stay on him long enough to offer her any assistance. But her stare looked less like she didn't know who it was and more like she didn't care. She stared at him as though he were an enemy and he knew well what Parker was capable of doing to anything she perceived to be a threat.

He had to make her see him, even if it made him vulnerable. He knew removing the helmet would help them confirm his identity as well as interrupt his direct link to Lulu, not to mention leave his head ground zero for target practice, but none of that mattered to him as much as making Parker see him.

But first he had to even the playing field.

He stood still, not making any attempt to escape. He waited until several of the guards entered the room. He watched the way they eased around Parker with deference. The act caught his attention but he didn't have the time to think about it. Six very large, very armed men crowded around him slowly, each pointing guns at his chest.

Alec inhaled a deep breath. He knew he'd have to time his next move with absolute precision or… well, he didn't want to think about it.

He focused on Parker.

He exhaled as the word 'Stun' softly left his lips.

"Charge, in 3…2…1," Lulu prepared him, her voice droning quietly in his ear.

The guards all fell instantly, writhing and gagging in unison, all too paralyzed from the electric charge being delivered through their comms to try to stop him. Alec, with one swift movement turned out of their barricade and headed toward the door, toward Parker.

He wasn't fast enough.

Sylvia watched on with rapt attention as the guards seized on the floor but as she saw Alec approach the door said looked at Parker and uttered the word 'Sono'.

Parker's eyes rolled back into her head and she collapsed immediately.

"NO," he shouted and dove after her, grabbing her lifeless body and cradling her against him as he whipped out a gun and pointed it with chilling rigidity at Sylvia's face.

"Whatever you did, I suggest you undo it now," Alec growled through clenched teeth and he cocked the safety.

Sylvia adjusted her glasses as she stared at him wordlessly.

The breeze from a warning shot ruffled the silver hair that waved over her right ear.

"Trust me when I tell you I will shoot you if you don't fix her," Alec threatened menacingly as he cocked the safety again.

"I believe that you would shoot me Alec but unfortunately I'm less afraid of your bullet than I am of losing her."

_Losing her? _

His head was spinning. This was all too much and the job he intended to accomplish had gone to pot. He had to get out of there and he wasn't leaving without Parker. He seriously considered shooting Sylvia but he knew instinctively it would come back to haunt him.

The weight of the gun crunched the carpet softly as he laid it down. He reached into his jacket and pulled out the pen device.

"Them," he called Sylvia's attention to the unconscious men on the floor, "they are being pumped with intermittent bursts of electricity strong enough to make them loose bodily function but not strong enough to kill them."

"This little baby in my hand has the capability to emit a charge so powerful it would put down a herd of elephants. Now, I may not shoot you but I will most certainly shock the shit out of you if you don't tell me how to fix her."

Sylvia smiled the smile he once thought pleasant and sweet; now it looked patronizing.

She took a step toward him and he pushed the pen device out at her threateningly and stopped her cold.

"She is not the girl that you knew," Sylvia said, holding her hands level with her face in surrender. "She is now infinitely more powerful than you can imagine and no matter what you do to me or to her the girl that you remember is forever lost to you."

A chill ran up Alec's spine.

He looked down at Parker's unconscious face angled up at him and his chest ached. She was there, in his arms after he thought he would never see her again. She was helpless and vulnerable but most importantly she was alive and he had her. No one was taking her away again.

"No one," he said as he looked down at her, his voice barely above a whisper.

He raised his eyes to Sylvia, "As for you…" he pressed the lever on the pen device and Sylvia fell backward almost instantly; a slow hiss escaping her chest as she fell unconscious.

He didn't spare the older woman a second glance. He gathered Parker in his arms and lifted her fully into the room as he closed the door and headed toward the wall behind Sylvia. The schematics he'd memorized of Hasting's Institute indicated that there was a window in the office next door. It had once been one large room but the Acquisitions closet was cordoned off from the original space. Getting into the other office would prove tricky though seeing that the door was nearly to the end of the long hallway and he couldn't afford to meet with any further armed and angry challenges- not while he was carrying Parker. He looked at her face and a burst of inspiration hit him. What would Parker do? Parker would blow a hole through that sucker!

_Thank Spock for dry wall. _

He eased Parker onto the floor behind a table for shelter before he reached into his rucksack and pulled out the conducting gel he used for the steel doors in the basement. The gel was overkill for the thin synthetic walls but he didn't have time to be gentle. They needed to get out of there, and fast. The security system undoubtedly would have sent out an alert to the rest of Hasting's goons and while the six in the office were probably the only ones on hand he knew a horde was likely on its way.

The gel glistened neon as the blue sensors flashed time and time again and it began to smoke as Alec ran the pen device's laser over it. Alec rammed his shoulder into the center of the six by three charred outline and the synthetic material gave way easily.

"Come on Mama," he whispered as he gingerly lifted Parker into his arms and through the hole.

The sliver of winter blue moonlight that beamed through the window guided him across the room. He shifted Parker's weight, aimed his pen devise and traced the laser along the entire frame of the window where the glass met the metal until her heard the slight clink to indicate its separation.

"Track and mobilize," he instructed Lulu quietly as he struggled to adjust Parker's weight to his back. He kneed the detached window pane slightly and it fell without further protest as he unzipped his jacket to remove the grappling hook and the attached titanium climbing rope. Alec fastened the hook to the wall and it automatically drilled a more secure hold while he eased himself and Parker out of the window.

"ALERT. ALERT." Lulu's voice in his helmet called his attention and he held his position to look around. From his vantage point at the side of the Hastings building he saw two large black SUVs pull up and park haphazardly in front. He froze and watched as at least twenty heavily armed men raced out of the vehicles and into the lobby of the institute. As soon as they left his line of sight he pulled Parker's clasped hands tighter around his neck and lowered himself in one quick jump out of the window.

He was never as grateful for artificial intelligence as he was just then. Lulu had arrived and parked just beneath, having tracked his signal and mobilized herself to meet him.

And not a moment too soon.

Just as he singlehandedly removed the rope's connection to his harness, he saw the intense glaring red pin point of a gun's tracking laser illuminating his chest. He folded his body over Parker, pulling her arms and legs underneath his body and tensed himself as he prepared for the gunfire…but none came. He chanced a look in the direction he saw the laser originate and no one was there.

_It must be Parker_, he rationalized, _they didn't want to take the chance that they hit her_.

He knew that they wouldn't take the chance to shoot from a distance but they would ambush him.

He lifted Parker onto Lulu's wide engine bed and secured her between his body and the handle bars.

"Second location."

His two word instruction to Lulu indicating his secondary safe house. It was closer and had a room that would serve his current needs.

"Auto-engage."

Lulu revved to life and maneuvered herself out of the alley and onto the intersecting street, leaning heavily to the right to avoid the security SUVs.

As the bike leaned Parker's head lolled to the side and a scar on her forehead glistened against the scant moonlight. Alec gnashed his teeth as he saw it.

"What did they do to you," he asked quietly and pulled her more securely against his body as Lulu wove her way quickly toward the safe house and salvation.


	8. Chapter 8

Lulu got them to Alec's second safe house quickly. Her scanners kept a vigilant search for the slightest abnormality as they rolled into the underground garage.

The outer facade of the building was deceptively plain but when the scrolling door closed behind them and the low lights and soft music faded up it revealed the modern albeit sparsely decorated space. Alec hadn't visited that location for a while but there was one thing about the property that was unique- it was once a bomb shelter that he'd converted into an impenetrable room from which he could still access his networks and retain remote control of his comm devices and other machines.

Right then though he had different uses in mind. He needed to get Parker somewhere safe where he could figure out what had been done to her and undo it.

He lifted her off of the bike and over to the large white sofa in the center of the room, depositing her gently before peeling off the rucksack and his gloves, jacket and helmet.

"Code 2," he called into the room as he marched over to Lulu to push the machine into a docking bay in the corner. The dim lights darkened slightly and the entire wall next to Lulu's parking area flipped to reveal an assortment of computer and video screens all mirroring the information he'd left at his primary location. The door to the garage bolted loudly behind him and a corrugated metal wall scrolled into place around the room. He didn't know what threats were coming but he would not be caught off guard. Paranoia had become his best friend since he'd lost the team that had his back.

He turned back to Parker.

The adrenaline in his body was evening out and it was beginning to sink in that she was alive. She was alive and there with him again.

Alec walked over to her and sat on the coffee table in front of the sofa, staring at the face he long ago willed himself to forget. He lifted his hand to touch her but froze in midair. Something was holding him back. Something he couldn't name. He didn't know if it was everything that Sylvia had said or his own fear that Parker was not the same person he once knew. He didn't know if it was his fear that he would fail her again or that this was all some sort of dream but he couldn't touch her. Instead he got up and walked over to his computer wall and began plugging away.

He had so many questions; needed so many answers and he didn't know where to begin. He thought he knew all there was to know about Hastings but the night's unexpected events assured him he hadn't even scratched the surface.

Why was Parker in Hasting's Institute? How was Sylvia involved? What exactly happened three years ago?

He tried to research Sylvia but he wasn't surprised that the name she'd given him during their time in the hospital wasn't real. He even ran the photo he had of her from the video his helmet captured, but that proved unsuccessful. 'Sylvia' for all intents and purposes didn't exist, and his frustration was mounting.

He chastised himself again for being naive.

Never again- he promised himself. No one would get that close.

But even as he said it he knew he would always make one exception.

He turned to look over his shoulder at the beautiful sleeping woman in the middle of the room. Her hair still looked like spun gold and her lips still pursed, even in her sleep but, he realized she was paler than he remembered. His jaw clenched and something inside of him flared to life. If he found out that Hastings hurt her, had been hurting her for three years, there would be no place the man would be able to hide from what Alec planned to do to him.

Alec stared at her. She looked so small and defenseless…but then Sylvia's words came to his thoughts again: "… _infinitely more powerful than you can imagine." _

He wondered what she meant.

He turned his focus back on the screens before him and forwarded through the video footage his helmet camera recorded, concentrating all of his attention on Sylvia and Parker.

Dammit.

He realized that he didn't actually capture them in the moments before Parker fell; his attention and the camera were focused on the guards who'd surrounded him. He played the video again and again, slowing it down a few frames before Parker fell to see if there was anything that caught his attention…and then he decided to isolate the audio for clues.

Success.

There, amid all the noise and confusion, he clearly heard Sylvia's voice utter a single word.

"…Sono?" he repeated and said the word over and over in his head hoping for some kind of recollection but he could think of nothing.

He typed the word into a search engine and exhaled a hard, fast breath as the infinite possibilities collected on the screen.

"This is useless," he said out loud as he dropped the keyboard on the desk and pushed himself away from the console.

In the quiet of the space the gentle strums of the music that had been playing since he entered caught his attention. He realized that a song he'd hated for the past three years had just begun to play. He listened to it and a small smile curled the corners of his lips because he realized the song didn't have the same hold over him that it had in the past.

"_Something always brings me back to you. It never takes too long."_

Alec turned to look at Parker again as the song Gravity by Sara Bareilles filled the air around them. It haunted him for so long; the thought that he'd failed her, that she was gone and he would never see her again. The words of the song always seemed directed at him…but not anymore. Parker was alive and with him. His throat tightened and he felt his eyes get moist. He eased his head backward and let the words of the song wash over him as he let go of the sadness and anger he'd held onto for so long. There would be no place for that anymore. He would never let her go again.

As the last piano strains faded into another song he was struck with an epiphany that slowly took root. Sylvia was not American.

He opened his eyes and sat bolt straight. He remembered that he'd always heard a slight hitch when Sylvia spoke, like someone who'd practiced their accent away.

That's why he couldn't find her in his identity search. He wasn't searching in the right place. If he could discover where she was from, then it might help him figure out a way to help Parker.

He cracked his knuckles and rolled his shoulders and neck in preparation.

"Ok, Syl…it's on now."

He opened the photo he had of Sylvia once again and cross referenced it with every country he linked to Hastings' dirty dealings.

The list was extensive and Alec's fingers were numb before too long.

Hours passed as he sat staring at the information being collected. His eyes began to burn and his stomach complained loudly for something to eat. He rubbed his eyes and stretched before he headed into the pantry in search of some non-perishable grub, sparing Parker an anxious gaze as he walked past her.

He just rested his hand on the lever to the pantry when the red flashing from his computer screen reflected on the walls in front of him. He turned to see that Sylvia's face had been matched. He was back at the console before he even realized he'd moved at all. He stared at the picture on the screen, his eyes dancing between the older and newer versions of Sylvia. It was her. He was convinced.

"You've had a little work done Sylvia," he chided the image on his screen before he scrolled down at her bio at her name and nationality.

"Demara de Castro, aka Julia Giuseppe, Julia Demarco, Cristina Felix, Francisia…" he stopped at the next name and felt an icy chill.

This couldn't be a coincidence.

"…Moreau." He sighed heavily.

"This just keeps getting better doesn't it?" he grunted as he continued to search the bio, "Ok. One thing at a time. First Parker, then the connection to Moreau."

"She was a Spanish citizen," he continued speaking aloud to himself.

He acted on his hunch and tried to translate the word Sono from Spanish to English.

"Dammit," he cursed quietly as the search results yielded nothing but as he leaned back in his seat a line in her bio caught his attention. Demara was not born in Spain, but moved there with her family when she was a child. She was originally from a small country called Galicia.

His excitement grew as he researched the translation of the word 'Sono' from Galician to English.

The result on the screen pinged instantly and Alec jumped out of the chair and clapped loudly.

The word 'Sleep' leapt off of the screen.

"That's what I'm talking 'bout," he rubbed his hands together calculatingly as his mind began to assess what his discovery meant. Parker had been programmed. She was being controlled by Demara. He inhaled deeply- he'd have to hack Parker.

"Ok, so… Sleep…" he repeated as he realized that there could be any number of ways for Parker to be deprogrammed.

He looked at Parker and snapped his fingers. Nothing.

Dammit, didn't that always work in Vegas?

He clapped his hands. Parker didn't budge.

He bit his lips in frustration, realizing that the key was probably a related word.

He once again sat at his computer and looked for the Galician translation to words that might have roused her.

He entered 'awake' and the said the translation aloud.

"Acordado,"

He turned quickly to look at her. She was as still as ever.

He searched and shouted several more words.

Wake up. "…espertar."

Arise. "… xurdir."

Rise. "… aumento."

Nothing. Nothing. Nothing.

He passed his hands over his face in frustration. He was running out of options. He was beginning to think he should have brought Demara along for the ride.

Demara.

Another epiphany.

Perhaps Demara was the key.

Alec pulled out the keyboard and opened his audio manipulation program. He said all of the translated words and recorded them into the program before manipulating them to repeat in a simulation of Demara's voice. Then he played each one.

"Acordado," the synthesized voice called but Parker didn't move.

"Espertar." Nothing.

"Xurdir." Nothing.

"Aumento." Alec stared at her his stomach taunt from holding his breath. Parker didn't move.

He lowered his head into his hands and sat silent and exhausted. Every muscle in his body was tense.

"Where am I?"

He heard the small voice and looked up instantly. His eyes met with Parkers, awake and wary. He was frozen where he sat.

Maybe it was exhaustion, maybe he was hallucinating; he stared unblinkingly at her for what seemed like a lifetime. His mouth couldn't form words.

"…and who are you?" she asked him pointedly.


	9. Chapter 9

_Who are you?_

His mind repeated the question and he attempted to stand and approach her.

But Parker flung her legs over her head and was standing behind the chair before Alec even had a chance to pull himself fully upright.

She pressed her back against the wall as she eyed him cautiously.

"Whoa…Parker," he said, as he sat down fully, holding his hands up in submission.

"Who-are-you?" she demanded as she scanned the wall behind him, "… and where am I? And why do you have pictures of Sonia?"

Alec turned to the screen behind him and the photo of Demara.

_Sonia!_ He sighed and shook his head. This chick had more aliases than Sophie!

He turned back to Parker and caught her scanning the room; no doubt looking for a way out.

"Parker…" he said softly as he held his hands and attempted to stand once more.

"…and why do you keep calling me Parker?" she interrupted him and her question stopped him cold.

He lowered his hands and stared at her without saying anything for a moment.

"What is your name?" he asked and took a small step toward her.

She took a small step away, sliding along the wall further away from him, her eyes never leaving his face.

"You haven't answered any of my questions," she countered.

"Ok," he shook his head in agreement and took another step closer, "My name is Alec…"

He watched her face for any sign of recollection but there was nothing and she stepped further away from him again.

"…Alec Hardison."

Still no recollection.

He took a deep breath and let it out in a heavy sigh. He stopped his advance but stood firmly and faced her. He realized he was getting nowhere. She didn't know him or trust him and if he knew Parker she was thinking of a way out. So before she killed them both trying to make her escape he needed to figure out how to get through to her.

"We are in a sealed shelter," he said as she looked at him quizzically.

"There's no way in and no way out for at least…" he looked at his watch, "16 more hours."

"What?"

"It's a failsafe. Once the system has been activated, there's no getting out for 24 hours. We've been here for about 8; which means we have 16 more to go."

He noticed that her hands relaxed against the wall but she still looked upon him with suspicion.

"Look, if I wanted to hurt you, I would have done it already; don't'cha think?" and he said a quick prayer and turned his back to Parker to walk back to the console.

He knew the only way to get her trust is to not be seen as a threat. He was hoping his plan was the right move and he knew he'd find out sooner rather than later.

As he sat down at his chair and heard the soft hiss of the leather giving way under his weight he breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Parker hadn't attacked.

He could feel her eyes on him though, and it made him very uneasy. He turned to find her still easing along the wall moving to the opposite end of the room from where he was. He knew she was still trying to devise an escape, he wasn't that gullible, but he'd play it cool and hopefully he could use her confusion to his advantage.

"So…will you tell me your name now," he asked nonchalantly.

"How do you know Sonia," she responded with a question of her own.

He shook his head but couldn't help but smile. Answering a question with a questions- that was so Parker.

"Her name isn't Sonia," he offered, "and I don't know what she's told you but she's no friend of yours."

"I never said she was my friend," Parker gnashed out and Alec heard the cold hostility in her tone.

He focused on her and made to stand again but Parker tensed and he sat back down. He didn't want her on alert with him. He had to gain her trust and for Parker that always meant giving her her space and letting her move in her own time.

"Ok, I've answered all of your questions," he said, "can you at least tell me your name?"

She eyed him thoughtfully for a moment before she spoke.

"My name is Leah."

He smiled. He didn't believe her. Her stare was too focused, too direct. She was making a point of holding his gaze. But he took small comfort in the fact that she offered him something, even if it was a lie.

"Leah," he repeated, "that's pretty."

"Thank you," she replied evenly, "now…how do you know Sonia."

"Her name is Demara de Castro," he answered as he kept a close watch on Parker's body for any signs of remembrance. "She is an internationally wanted fugitive."

Parker had either been trained very well or she genuinely wasn't aware of any of the information Alec was sharing with her. He knew every 'tell' Parker ever had and she wasn't giving anything away.

"Are you with the Police?" she asked him and he noticed that she had eased off of the wall.

"No…I'm not with the police."

"So who are you?"

"I…operate just outside of the law," he offered evasively, "I used to work with a team. We would help people who were taken advantage of."

He studied her closely but knew she didn't make the connection. Whatever they'd done to her, the programming was deep.

"I work for Sonia," Parker offered and she eyed him as if trying to gauge his reaction.

"What do you do?" He asked with a mildly interested tone; he was being careful not to press too hard.

"I find things that she needs found." He could hear the pride that Parker always took in her craft.

"How'd you hook up with her?" He knew her response if truthful would answer so many questions.

Parker sighed softly and looked away from his face for the first time since they began speaking. She was beginning to feel some ease around him- or she was setting her escape in motion, he'd wait to see.

She walked over to the sofa and sat in the corner furthest away from him.

"Sonia saved my life," she said it matter-of-factly but he knew the weight of her words.

That's what happened three years ago- He knew it. That had been the plan all along. They wanted to capture the team. They turned Parker into a different version of herself and got rid of any links to her old memory. He wondered why Demara didn't just kill him when she had the chance.

He clenched his fist. He'd have to remember to ask her when he got the chance.

He looked at her dressed in her signature style- a fitted black turtleneck shirt, black jeans and boots, her hair was perfectly messy as always and he just wanted to lift her into his arms and never let her go again. He knew he couldn't though. This Parker might switch into Commando-Barbie mode and whup his behind. He couldn't take the chance, not until he knew exactly what he was dealing with.

"Um…Are you hungry?" he asked, gesturing to the pantry behind her.

"No…Thank you."

"You sure? It's been a long day and I know I'm starving." He offered with a shrug and a smile.

She shook her head and smiled back slightly.

He heart sang. There was that smile that he missed so much. God it was good to have her back- in whatever form.

He rose and walked toward the pantry and he realized with relief that she didn't become guarded when he moved. He was making progress.

Or was he…

No sooner had he entered the pantry than she was up and at the console looking for a clue to escape. He could see her reflection on a can of corn but before he could turn back to her she'd stepped away from the console and was walking toward him.

"Perhaps I am a little hungry," she offered as she entered the close confines of the fully stocked food closet. She blocked the narrow doorway and he had nowhere to go but backward. He stared down at the face that he knew better than he knew his own but the look on her eyes was one he'd never seen before. There was cold deliberation there.

"This is impressive," she told him genuinely as she backed him into the farthest shelf in the closest. He was trapped as the shelves were too close for him to ease around her. The only way he could get out was if she allowed him and she didn't seem very keen on moving.

She looked at the labels of all of the food before settling on a box of cereal on the shelf behind him. She pressed her body fully against his as she reached for the non-descript container. Alec tried to make himself as flat as possible as she pressed into him. He was conflicted. Being that close to her felt _really _good but he knew instinctively it wasn't real. Parker would never do that.

As she straightened up he saw her gaze quickly scan the ceiling above him and he finally realized what she'd been doing. She was casing the pantry. That was so Parker. He had to smile. He decided that he'd play along but he'd have some fun too.

"Do you want some milk to go with that?" He asked her smoothly and he eased his arm around her waist to pull her closer to him.

Parker's brows furrowed for a moment before they evened and he smiled to himself because he knew he was getting to her.

Her face was inches from his and their eyes locked and held, neither willing to be the first to look away. He moved her slowly, their bodies pressed tightly against each other as he began to turn them around. They pivoted until Parker's back was against the shelf and Alec's faced the exit but he didn't let her go. With one arm firmly wrapped around her waist, he reached above her with the other and pulled down a bag of powdered milk. He held the milk at his side and leaned his forehead against hers. He could feel her breath against his lips and he could feel the way that her heartbeat and his were racing. He moistened his lips and closed his eyes.

"Don't bother trying to get out from here. I've seen what you can do but I doubt even you could fit through the six inch pipes up there."

He opened his eyes just in time to see her fully open hers.

She looked flushed and confused.

He held up the bag of powdered milk and Parker took it from him; her face still registering her confusion over his turnabout.

He straightened up and winked at her before walking out of the pantry.

Parker stood watching him walk away for a few moments before something he said registered in her subconscious.

"Wait a minute…" she called as she rushed out of the pantry.

"Did you just say that you've seen what I can do?" she stopped behind the sofa. "How could you know anything about me?"

She watched as his shoulders tensed but he didn't turn around.

"Have we met before?" she asked quietly and he turned because he finally heard Parker's - the innocent, fragile person he would give his life to save.

His eyes met hers and he knew her question was genuine. There was no pretense there, just a need for the truth.

"Yes," he answered simply.

She eased around the sofa and took a step toward him.

"Am I… that name you called me earlier? Is my name…Parker?" she asked him, her voice almost a whisper.

Alec nodded slowly. He was again at a loss for words.

She stared at him blankly and he could tell she was trying hard to reconcile what he told her with whatever little she knew.

He took a few steps closer to her but she stepped backward and away from his approach.

"She wouldn't tell me anything about my past," Parker said finding it hard to speak against the growing ache in her throat. "I used to wonder who I was before, what I was…if anyone missed me." She looked pointedly away from the intensity of Alec's gaze. "But then I stopped wondering when no one came and it was just me there."

"I thought you were…," he cleared his throat, he couldn't continue, couldn't say the word. "She let me believe that I wouldn't see you again." His anger for Sonia, Demara, Sylvia so great he felt himself capable of great evil when he saw her again.

He turned his back to Parker not wanting her to think his anger was directed toward her.

"If I knew that you were still alive, Parker, nothing," he turned back to her and walked over to sit on the coffee table in front of her, "or no one would have kept me from you."

A tear rolled down her cheek.

"You loved her…me?" she asked shaking her head slightly to make the clarification.

He reached up and cupped her face gently between his hands, "I still do."

He stared into the eyes that haunted his dreams and saw her- his Parker- finally coming back.

He leaned in and kissed her softly, barely touching his lips to hers. He pulled away from her but didn't let her go. Their eyes held and Parker leaned in to kiss him again but this time she reached up and wound her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to deepen their embrace.

His eyes drifted close as his hands fell away from her face and wrapped around her as she stood in front of him.

She kissed him deeply and he kissed her back. He couldn't get enough. Her softness, the way she smelled, the way she tasted. He could have kissed her forever.

He ran his hands along her back and she exhaled a quiet sigh. He nearly lost it. He swallowed deeply and tried to rein himself in. He knew if she made another sound like that it would be his undoing. As much as he wanted her he would wait until she was fully back to her old self.

"Um..Parker…maybe…we…should…cool it, " he sputtered between kisses.

She stopped kissing him, and opened her eyes before she slowly pulled away. She looked dazed. Her body was frozen as her eyes met his.

She was flushed but not in the well-kissed kind of way but in a way that said she was stunned and embarrassed.

He realized instantly that she was confused by his reluctance to continue and he reached up and touched her face.

"I just think we might want to figure some things out before we pass the point of no return… and I was almost there, trust me." He rolled his eyes and shifted his seat slightly as he felt a rather uncomfortable and angry sensation taking place in his pants. Some parts of him were none to please about the premature cessation.

Parker bit her lip and smiled before she nodded in agreement.

She leaned in and kissed his cheek softly and turned to sit on the sofa folding her legs under her as he always remembered her doing.

She stopped and looked down at her legs. She eased them onto the ground, then she looked up at him curiously.

"I've never done that," she explained slowly.

"What…sit with your legs folded like that? You did that all the time, Mama."

She blinked as he said his pet name for her, her brows still furrowed.

"You called me that before?" she asked thoughtfully

"Yeah," he smiled, "all the time."

He stood up to go into the pantry. All that kissing grew his appetite.

"I feel strange Alec," she said.

"Maybe it's all coming back," he shouted excitedly as he reached for a jar of peanut butter and a box of crackers.

But as he exited the pantry he didn't see her.

"Parker," he called softly as he looked around the room until he heard a soft pounding coming from the sofa.

He moved closed and stared in horror as Parker lay unconscious between the sofa and coffee table her arms, legs and head shaking with seizures.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The jar of peanut butter fell with a dull thud and rolled away as Alec stood and stared at Parker's trembling body.

"Parker," he breathed her name as he dropped to his knees at her side.

He saw the whites of her rolled back eyes and the thick vein at the side of her neck as she seized again and his mind went blank.

_What do you do when someone has a seizure_? He asked himself over and over again but no answers came.

His panic ran white hot. His thoughts jumbled and bubbled and snapped within themselves and all he saw was Parker in distress, again, and he couldn't help her.

And then the word flashed through the chaos in his mind.

"Sono."

It fell from his lips whisper soft as he gazed at her helplessly. She tensed and convulsed again. Panic pushed the word from his chest a second time, firmer and with purpose.

"SONO."

And finally, with a soft sigh, Parker was still.

Alec watched her for a moment; his eyes wide and his hands frozen as they hovered above her, unconsciously waiting for her to seize again.

She stayed still and he exhaled a hard breath and sat back on his heels. He ran his shaking hands over his face.

_What the hell_!

His first conscious thought speaking to his shock and confusion.

When his racing thoughts calmed enough to allow rational thought, he reasoned that perhaps he'd pushed too hard too fast. Her programming was deep- like a Trojan uploaded to a computer. He believed he'd broken through one level of the infection and he likely encountered- or even unlocked- something much more virulent and dangerous. Whatever it was it didn't want her remembering.

_Dammit!_

He pounded the ground beside him in frustration then caught himself. He knew this was no time to lose control or focus. He needed to be better than he'd ever been to break through to Parker- to set her free.

He looked at her again and a phantom sensation fluttered his lips. He could still feel her in his arms, the length of her body pressed against his, the taste and the softness of her lips against his. He eased over to her and, with hesitant hands, lifted her onto the sofa.

The dim lights bathed her with the same soft glow that always made him stare at her. He parted the hair that fell on her forehead and kissed her there gently before he stood up and walked back to his computer.

"There has to be something you're missing," he demanded out loud.

Alec hated not knowing something. He hated not having the answers. He prided himself on always being able to work it out. When Nana was sick and refused to go to the doctors because they couldn't afford it, Alec found a way. When they almost lost their house, he found a way. He landed a commercial jet on an open-water highway for crying out loud. He could do this. He had to do this. It was Parker. There was no other option but to work it out.

He rolled his shoulders and cracked his knuckles and then he got to work. He looked through every file he'd previously unearthed, went over every scenario, and ruled out almost every solution he'd devised. He typed and scanned and decoded like a man possessed for four hours straight yet everything lead him back to the same conclusion- he had to return to Hastings' Institute.

He was stuck. He couldn't and wouldn't risk taking Parker back to Hastings with him but he couldn't leave her by herself for fear that she had another seizure or that she woke up alone and blew the place to Smithereens trying to escape.

He rubbed his tired eyes.

Things were simpler when there were five of them. They took care of each other. They always made sure the team came first.

He was exhausted. He'd been running on an average of three hours of sleep for the past two weeks and it had been about 48 hours since he'd last had a moment to close his eyes. Not to mention really eat something. He knew that he was in no state to take on the Hastings goon squad at the moment. They'd be on high alert given his last bold assault on their security.

A jaw-dislocating yawn snuck up on him as did the weariness in his bones and the aches in every one of his muscles. He needed to rest even if just for a few minutes.

He turned back to Parker lying still and soundless on the sofa and his body involuntarily led him to her.

He eased himself between the sofa and the coffee table and lay flat on his back, crossing his feet at the ankles and resting one arm over his eyes as the other glided along the sofa face until it found its quarry. He felt Parker's hand, warm and soft. It reassured him that she was there with him and regardless of the turmoil that may have been going on inside her mind he got her back, flesh and blood and whole.

Alec wrapped his fingers around hers and quickly fell into a dreamless sleep.

The hours passed swiftly. Alec's body relished the sleep and drank it in greedily.

He didn't hear when the soft alarm sounded on the computer screen alerting him that the lockdown was over. He didn't hear as the bolts and gates of the loft's walls all clicked unlocked simultaneously. He didn't hear as the sofa's leather creaked ever so slightly as weight redistributed. He didn't feel the soft warmth grow tense and pull out of his grip. He didn't see a pair of hazel eyes look down at him coldly, curiously wondering how best to render him into deeper unconsciousness so she could take him away.

She moved over to his console with the stealth of a cat. She lifted her left foot and ran her fingers along her boot's heel until she felt the give. A little pressure and the edge eased itself loose enough for her to pull it free. She wiped the small hard plastic on her jeans before she inserted it into her ear and clicked it to life.

"The subject is contained," she spoke softly into the comm device, and turned to look at her still sleeping objective, "do you want me to terminate?"


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"I understand," she replied evenly to the instructions coming through her ear bud. She pressed the device again applying enough pressure to deactivate.

Cold, calculating eyes returned to Alec. Satisfied that he was still sufficiently asleep, she turned her attention back to the computer and entered a search.

DOMINO

The neon green grid of a vector map illuminated the entire screen.

She enlarged one specific area of the map and noted its coordinates.

Objective one completed.

Now, for objective two.

She turned back to the sleeping man on the floor beneath the sofa, his hand extended and resting limply on the top of the seat.

Her brows furrowed.

An unfamiliar feeling settled over her. She felt pity.

But almost as quick as it came, the feeling left and she refocused on her goal.

She walked over to him and stooped at the side of his head.

The arm he used to shield his eyes was in her way…but no matter. She eased her hand between his arm and the side of his neck. She had to time it just right, block the nerve, knock him out. The movement had to be smooth and fast. If he moved or woke up it could be very painful for him if he struggled in any way. She could still overpower him but she realized a small part of her didn't want to cause him any discomfort.

She shook her head and blinked against the uncomfortable emotions that were plaguing her.

_She didn't consider the target. She never considered the target. Why should she care if he was hurt? He was a mark, like every other mark she had been ordered to neutralize. Why was this one special? She'd never met him before and she knew nothing about him save the information Sonia had debriefed. _

Her hands were shaking.

Her breathing had accelerated.

This never happened before.

Her eyes scanned the length of his resting frame. He was strong. She could see the taunt muscles of his legs and stomach and arms, tight and powerful even as he slept. She imagined he could be formidable if he chose to be but he was no fighter- he was far too trusting. Only an innocent person slept this soundly.

She closed her eyes and refocused.

Satisfied her irrational thoughts were once again under control she straightened up and eased her hand between his resting arm and his neck. She felt the muscle in his arm harden and flex. He was waking up.

Alec turned to see Parker staring at him her hand at his shoulder. The relief rippled through him and a smile began to curl the corners of his lips.

But before his mind could clear enough to form coherent thoughts and assess if he hadn't actually been dreaming he felt the thump and then pressure of something firm and powerful upon his chest. He looked down to see Parker's leg pressing firmly on top of him, pinning his arms at the elbows.

"Parker…wha…?" was all he could say before he felt the pinch against his neck and his thoughts faded.

She watched his brown eyes widen with the shock of her assault, but as he faded into unconsciousness she felt a pang. Something strong yet undefinable. For some reason she did not want to hurt this man.

She eased her leg off of him and stared at his face.

_Who are you?_

Her unease was building. There was something about this mark that was very different from all of the others. Something about the entire situation nagged at her and she found herself doing something she had never done before- she questioned her orders.

She leaned over the sleeping man and patted his pockets but found nothing.

She turned to the computer and another undefinable _something_ registered fuzzily in her mind. He worked with computers- she knew it from Sonia's disclosure, but there was something else. Something she couldn't quite place her finger on; a connection that teased the edges of her consciousness.

She rose and walked over the computer.

She didn't know what possessed her. She was actually shaking as she stood in front of the screen. She accessed the computer's surveillance cameras and angled them toward her face. She stood still and let the camera capture her image- something she certainly was not used to. She was trained to avoid being filmed at all cost but something told her that this man and his computers had answers.

She felt herself spinning dangerously out of control.

A cold-sweat covered her body. It was as though something inside of her was trying to break free.

She clicked on her photo, prompting the computer to search.

It pinged a match instantly.

Her own face looked back at her and the name below it said 'Parker'.

She dropped herself heavily into the chair.

"Parker," she repeated, testing the word on her tongue. It was a strange name. She wondered if it was the first or last name and why there were no other names listed.

Then her brows furrowed again and the briefest snippet of a memory came to mind. It was a recollection of him, the sleeping man, calling her Parker. The thought was fuzzy though and without its context she couldn't be sure what she'd heard or if she'd heard it at all.

She squeezed her temples between her hands to soothe the throbbing but the flashes strange pictures came hard and fast and with them the pain increased.

She wondered what was happening; why she felt as though she was being torn in two.

She turned back to the computer and surveyed the information about Parker.

_She is a thief. _

_She is an orphan and had no siblings or other family to speak of. _

_She is a wanted criminal. _

The information felt removed as though it was the purview of a total stranger.

She wondered how she could have no connection to any of it.

Then a name on the form caught her attention. An acquaintance she knew even now.

Nathan Ford.

His name was highlighted with three others in the subsection of Parker's bio data.

Eliot Spencer. Sophie Devereaux. Alec Hardison.

_Frequent Collaborators._

She sat back in the chair, her throat dry and her heart racing. She had absolutely no recollection of any of these people beside the Ford man and she only knew from hearing Sonia say his name when they spoke on the phone.

She clicked Eliot Spencer's name and his photo and file opened. Much of the information on his file was blacked out but even staring at his face offered no answers. She didn't recognize him.

She clicked on Sophie Devereaux's name and the same thing happened. An attractive woman with a list of criminal activity almost as long as Parker's.

She clicked on Alec Hardison's file and her eyes opened wide when the photo and file opened.

She turned to look at the unconscious man behind her.

"Alec," she mouthed but the word didn't feel right.

Her gaze narrowed as she looked at him, "…Hardison."

She made an instant connection to the word.

_Yes. Hardison. That's it. _

"I know you," she said softly as she walked over to him.

She knelt at his side and another quick flash of memory stunned her.

_She was standing- in almost the very same spot- and she was kissing him. She'd kissed Alec Hardison. _

Her fingers touched her lips, curious that they could forget the encounter so readily.

Then she thought back to the call that she'd just made. They knew that she had him and they were expecting her return. Sonia was expecting her- and Sonia did not like to be kept waiting.

Parker stared at Alec for a thoughtful moment before she finally reached up to her ear to remove the comm. She pinched it between her fingers for a moment before she tucked it into her pocket.

"Ok Hardison," she sighed, "it's just you and me now."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The first thing Alec saw as his eyes regained focus was Parker, sitting in the sofa, staring at him with the intense patience of someone who had an agenda.

It startled him.

But that wasn't the worst of his problems.

He realized that he couldn't move. His hands and feet were tightly bound and there was something wrapped around his chest keeping him pinned to the chair.

He couldn't keep the alarm from his face.

"Parker…" he called her name in questioning disbelief but as he looked into her eyes he knew he was not dealing with the same personality he'd gotten through to earlier. The eyes he looked into before were curious, searching, vulnerable. The eyes that assessed him now were cold.

"Why did you tie me up?" his mind was racing.

He had to buy time. He had to get answers but he didn't want her to have another episode if he pushed too hard. And more importantly he didn't want her breaking him like a fortune cookie. He had no idea what New Parker was capable of.

"I had to be sure you wouldn't try to escape." Even her voice was different. It was flat and dry-it lacked the edge and the quirky flair he'd always known.

He sighed.

This wasn't going to be easy. One thing he knew about New Parker was that she was suspicious. He would have to play his cards very well if he wanted to secure any hope of getting out of this.

"So, what do you want?" he settled himself in for a long drawn out game of cat and mouse.

"I want to know who I am." The answer was unflinchingly honest. Alec wasn't expecting it.

He stared at her with furrowed brows, "What do you mean?"

She looked at him intently but said nothing. He reasoned she was choosing her words carefully.

"Look, I can only help you if you give me somewhere to start." He snapped trying to rile something out of her but her expression didn't change in the least. She remained silent.

"Could you at least untie my feet?" he bit out angrily, "This thing is so tight, I can't feel my pinky toe."

"First tell me who you are…to me."

The question caught him off guard and everything in him went quiet and still.

Images of her, of them, of the rest of the group flashed into his mind but he was lost for the words to explain who they were to each other.

She read the expression on his face and assessed that she'd hit upon a well spring of information.

"I know that your name is Alec Hardison and the name that I was known as was Parker…"

He flinched at the distant coldness that she'd said their names as though there was no connection what so ever. This was a far cry from the Parker he'd made progress with earlier. It was almost as though she rebooted to just before she asked him about herself before. He wondered how deep the programming went, if she'd have to reset herself every time she made a discovery about her past.

"…what I'd like to know is how we worked together? I've read the file and the information about the collaboration of a team of five con men seems…unorthodox. Was there a reason we were forced to work together?"

He found himself thinking back to their first job together and how they came to be the team that they were for the better part of five years until that fateful night at Hastings.

"No. There wasn't a reason we were forced to stay together," he was actually smiling as the memories flooded his mind.

He thought about how Nate always pushed them to be better than they thought they were, and Sophie always kept them together and sane and was always the shoulder to lean on, how Eliot would sacrifice himself to keep them safe every time, without hesitation, and how Parker touched something different and instinctually protective in each of them that created a bond stronger than most biological families have.

"…it wasn't always easy but we stayed together because what we had together was much more powerful than anything we had when we were alone. We had a greater purpose. We were a team. I don't know if that means anything to you now but it meant a lot back then."

She said nothing but he could tell she was processing.

"Okay so I've given you a little information, seriously, I've lost circulation in my pinky toe. Please…" he nodded toward his feet.

She waited a moment before moving toward him but when she did she moved with the grace of an animal stalking its prey- slow and deliberate.

Her eyes never left his and he couldn't look away if he wanted to.

She stopped in front of him, "I should let you know now, if you try to escape or attempt to attack me in any way, I'll be forced to do things to you that will be- at the very least- excruciatingly painful. Do you understand?" Her voice never wavered.

He swallowed the anxious rush of saliva that filled his mouth and nodded his reply.

Her eyes held his as she stooped slowly in front of him and untied the knotted cloth at his ankles.

When the fabric loosened and fell away he shook his feet free and rolled his eyes at the feeling of blood rushing back to the smallest deprived digit. As he returned her gaze though, the intensity of her stare made that same blood run cold.

"Why did you kiss me before?" she asked, staring up at him from her precarious vantage point between his legs.

"What?" He wished she wouldn't ask him about that and sit there at the same time. His body was caught in a strange sensational vortex. Fight or flight. He wanted to remember the kiss, he wanted to talk to her about it, hell, he'd even want to do it again but not right then and there with New Parker and her monotone voice confusing the hell out of him. He didn't know if to be sexy or scared and the words _'excruciatingly painful things'_ kept scrolling across his mind.

"I had a memory of kissing you. Are you saying you don't remember?" She sat up, straightening her back. She leaned closer so she was wedged between his long legs.

_For the love of all that was good and shiny! _

He was trying desperately to maintain some semblance of control over his urges but between her eyes and her closeness and his sinfully inappropriate thoughts or his supremely questionable timing, he was waging a losing battle.

"Hardison," his ears perked and his eyes widened at her soft utterance of his name.

They were no longer playing cat and mouse. She'd already captured him. He knew it and she certainly did. He was putty in her hands from the time he 'rescued' her from Hastings. There was no need for him to even feign control at this point because he'd give her anything she wanted and answer any question she asked.

"I kissed you…but I shouldn't have."

She pulled back and raised an eyebrow.

"I wasn't kissing you. I was kissing Parker….my Parker."

His explanation didn't provide her with any further answers. She stared at him without talking but her confusion was clear.

He took a deep breath and hoped he was doing the right thing.

"The Parker you read about in those files disappeared over three years ago. That was the person I kissed."

"I don't understand…"

"The truth is I don't know who you are. So you aren't anything to me."

It killed him to lie to her but he couldn't risk it. He was too afraid of the consequences of giving her too much information. He desperately hoped the answer was to let her discover the truth and gather the pieces for herself, at her own pace.

Her expression remained the same for a moment and then she sat back on her heels.

"You're lying to me. Why?"

He knew she would focus on him if she thought he was hedging and he needed her to start seeking her answers on her own.

"I'm not lying to you," he answered her with an edge to his tone, "I do not know who you are. I knew someone who looked like you but that was a long time ago. I got carried away and I kissed you simply because you looked like her."

He thought for the briefest of moments that he saw hurt shadow her face but it disappeared before he could be sure and her face once again bore the mask of indifference.

He really hoped he was on the right track. Lying to her was hard and intentionally causing her pain was worse.

She had other thoughts.

Before Alec could fully comprehend what was happening New Parker straightened up and leaned into him until their lips were almost touching.

His heart was drumming so quickly his head felt light. He couldn't form solid sentences and even if he was free to, he would not have been able to move.

"I don't believe you," her voice was deep, husky. The warmth of her breath caressed his lips and he involuntarily parted them. He was done for.

"I think you have answers but for some reason you are not telling me… there are many ways that I can make you tell me what I want to know."

She ran her hand along the outside of his left thigh and Alec swore the skin seared under her touch. Her hand continued up along the side of his stomach over his scar and up to the solid muscle of his chest. His forehead misted with a thin coat of perspiration. He couldn't withstand very much more. She certainly knew what she was doing.

He couldn't look anywhere else but into her eyes- she was that close- but he had to hold out.

_Think of the consequences, Alec. Think of the consequences. _

He closed his eyes and repeated the mantra.

But he could still feel her feathery breathing against his lips and it was torture.

She upped the ante.

She leaned in further, pressing her chest against his. She softly grazed his lower lip with the both of hers.

He felt as though he'd liquefied like the Wicked Witch of the West. He was a boneless mass. That simple touch had held more heat than he'd ever encountered in his life and Alec knew that he would either have a heart attack or he'd get verbal incontinence if she kissed him again.

"Okay stop, please." He couldn't believe the words were coming out of his mouth. He was begging a woman, and not just any woman but Parker, not to kiss him.

He opened his eyes to find her straightened up and away from him. To his surprise her face looked slightly flushed as though the kiss had an effect on her as well.

"Will you tell me what I want to know?"

"I can't," he began and her lips twitched with the first sign of negative emotion he read from her.

He hurried to continue before she began her torturous seduction again. He rationalized that a small amount of truth may be required.

"I can't tell you. You need to find the answers yourself."

Her brows furrowed and he again noted the open display of emotion. He hoped it was not too much too soon again. His stomach flipped anxiously as he flashed back to her seizures.

"Where should I begin?" she directed the question more to herself than to him.

"When in doubt begin at the beginning," he repeated the phrase Nana always said to comfort him.

She looked away from him and to the computer.

She stood to approach the large glowing screen.

"Could you untie me now?"

She looked at him with a silent warning and he nodded his agreement.

She walked around the chair and undid the knots at his wrists and around the back of chair free.

He was careful not to move to quickly, his fear of 'the excruciating pain' was a testament to effectiveness of her tactics.

He rubbed the tender skin at his wrists and she turned back to the computer.

"Nothing on this file looks familiar…well except for Nathan Ford."

Alec perked instantly and spun around to look at her and the computer screen.

"Nathan Ford? How do you know about Nathan Ford?"

"Sonia," she replied evenly. And Alec felt an involuntary chill run down his spine.

"Sonia speaks with Nathan Ford regularly."

If he hadn't already been sitting, this news surely would have sent Alec falling into the nearest chair.


	13. Chapter 13

**Thank you again for the reviews, the alerts, the views. I sincerely hope you're enjoying the story as much as I am. It gets a little darker later on and from this point on the ratings have changed due to some violence and intimate situations.**

**I'm not affiliated with Leverage in any way.**

**_RATED K+_**

* * *

><p>Chapter 13<p>

_WTF! _

The unabbreviated version flashed in Alec's head like a neon sign.

"I'm sorry," he exhaled incredulously before he stood up and walked to the computer screen and to Parker, "did you say that Nathan Ford speaks with Sonia regularly?"

He clicked on Nate's photo, "_this _Nathan Ford?"

Parker observed his fluster, "I've never seen Nathan Ford but Sonia speaks with Nathan Ford very regularly."

For one fleeting moment he considered the possibility that there was a mistake, a coincidence; that perhaps there was another Nathan Ford. But it was too much of a leap.

_The simplest explanation is usually the truth_; he heard Nana's sage words echo in his head.

Alec got a migraine headache instantly. He walked back over to the sofa and sat down leaning his head back to alleviate the pain.

_Nate's been alive all this time and he didn't try to find me. That doesn't make sense…unless…._

Alec didn't want to think it but the thought inflated itself slowly in his mind. Nate had to be involved. Nothing else made sense.

Anger began to build in him.

_He's been alive and working with the enemy all this time while I've been here alone and blaming myself. He let them hurt Parker? Dammit Nate! Damn __you__ Nate, Damn you straight to hell!_

He sat up and rubbed his eyes and face before his stare fell to Parker as she watched the computer screen intently. She was reading her file with rapt attention. He wished he could give her something, anything to make her task easier but he knew that as hard as it was to watch her struggle this was something she needed to work out for herself. She knew that nothing is necessarily as it seemed. That truth was a good enough place to start. He also had a very strong feeling this entire situation was going to get a lot worse before it got better.

He had to get some more answers too. He had to know what they were up against.

"Did Sonia ever tell you where Nathan Ford was?" he asked, his mind already racing with possibilities and the inevitable questions as to why Nate hadn't popped up in any of his extensive searches.

"Sonia would never talk to me about something like that," Parker answered him distractedly, "and I stopped being curious about anything beyond of my own missions a long time ago."

He heard the very subtle catch in her voice. There was bitterness there. He wondered if it was directed at those who'd deceived her or those who'd left her behind.

His mind stayed on Parker for a moment. The irony struck him that she couldn't make a connection to her past and he couldn't let go of his. Finding out what happened admittedly consumed his life for the past three years. It drove him.

…._drove him_!

He remembered that someone else was driven, someone who was consumed.

Alec rose from the sofa and walked up to the computer, his mind buzzing with the excitement of inspiration.

Nate was consumed by helping the little man, by taking the big man down a peg or two. Nate was driven by what happened to his son Sam. Alec knew that Sam would always be the driving force of Nate's decisions. The situation gave him strength, he reveled in in, he hid behind it.

Alec eased himself next to Parker, "Can I ease in here for a bit; I have a lead I'd like to check?"

Parker nodded once and stepped away from the monitor and returned to the sofa.

Alec sat down and began plugging away. He created a search for every combination of names from Nathan's past and chided himself for not thinking of that angle before.

For someone as driven by his past as Nate was, this was almost an expected next move.

Alec sat back and looked at the myriad of names whizzing past each other, combined with locations connected to Nate's history. The minutes wore on and there were no matches. He interlocked his fingers behind his head and leaned back in the chair. He closed his eyes as the familiar sound of the electronic search lulled him. Then the hair at the back of his neck stood at attention. He could feel her eyes on his back.

Alec opened his eyes and turned the chair around slowly so that he was facing her. Parker's expression was coolly assessing as their eyes met.

"Is everything okay?" Alec asked when the silent seconds stretched too long.

"What happens if you tell me something about my past?" she asked him directly.

A small smile tickled his lips. So, she figured out _that_ much.

He leaned in, resting his elbows on his knees. He looked at her with his head cocked to the side but he remained silent.

Their eyes held and uneasiness caught her off guard again. His eyes were big and their depths seemed endless. Her stomach fluttered and she swallowed thickly against the unusual effect he had on her.

A soft alert pinged on the computer and Alec turned away from her. The spell was broken. She shook her head and blinked herself back to indifference. It was too late though, she was conscious that he had a very definite effect on her. He contradicted everything she knew, he made her care.

Alec stared at the highlighted name on the screen and the location that accompanied it.

Samuel Logue, 47, Barna, Ireland.

That was it. He was certain.

It would be too much of a coincidence for a random person to have Nate's son's name, his mother's maiden name, and live in Barna, a suburb of Galway.

Alec tried to access photos of Samuel Logue but _mysteriously_ none existed. Further confirmation.

He turned back to Parker excitedly, "got 'im."

She half-smiled and nodded in response.

Then he remembered she had no connection to Nate anymore and the realization made him pause.

"Nate…Nathan Ford, should be able to give us some answers." His exuberance faded in the face of her apathy.

He turned back to the screen and focused his attention on the location- Barna.

It was a beautiful little seaside town where someone could easily hide in plain sight.

Alec looked up the local directory but Samuel Logue was not listed.

Then another bit of inspiration made one of his eyebrows rise in gloating satisfaction.

He reached for his headset and punched in a 14 digit number on his keyboard.

"Hello, is this King's Wharf bar and grill?...My name is Cecil… I'm calling from Galway…I'm looking for Samuel Logue. Is he there?"

Alec's breath caught in his chest at the reply.

He swallowed thickly.

"Can I please speak with him?"

He held for one anxious minute, his own heartbeat pounding in his ears.

He didn't think he'd be so intensely affected by the thought of speaking to Nate again.

"This is Logue," the thinly veiled American accent called into the phone and Alec froze for a moment. Three years of sadness, regret, guilt spiked in his chest and a disbelieving anger roared to life.

_You've been alive all this time and you didn't try to find me? _

"Hallo," the voice called again impatiently and Alec snapped out of his reverie.

"Nate?" he said softly, his voice clear and firm.

Silence stretched the miles that separated them and Alec began to wonder if he'd made a mistake.

"Hardison…" The name was said quietly with reverence and disbelief.

"I…I…thought you were dead."

Alec was quiet as he listened, his mind registering the emotions Nate had to be going through. A small weight lifted off of his chest. All of the recriminations he'd held against Nate melted as he replayed Nate's words in his mind and really thought about what they meant.

"Nate something really big is going on…" He took a deep breath and continued quietly, "Parker is here…with me. She's different, Nate, but she's here."

Alec heard Nate's sharp intake of breath.

"Parker…wow, I…" he couldn't continue but instead a hiccupping laugh gave Alec the impression Nate was struggling to control his emotions.

"I take it you thought she was…gone, too?" Alec asked quietly as he swallowed the pain the thought brought him.

Nate didn't answer but Alec could almost picture the man nodding silently.

"They told me…they said that you all…"Nate finally answered his broken sentence mirroring the looping whir that filled his mind.

Alec didn't need him to continue. They had all been lied to- that much was clear. The question that remained was why.

"Why are you in Ireland? Actually, it doesn't even matter. I can have a ticket waiting for you at…Galway Airport. How soon can you get there? How does the 10pm Red-eye to Logan sound?"

Alec sped through his plan barely giving Nate a catch his breath or respond.

"No…I can't," came Nate's hushed and near panicked replay.

Alec stopped his flight search and pressed the ear piece harder to his ear.

"What? Did you just say _you can't_?"

"No, I can't," Nate responded firmer.

"Nate, do you understand that something huge is happening at Hastings. They've…" Alec turned to once again look at Parker who was staring intently at him. He ducked his head and lowered his voice, "…changed Parker. I don't know what's going on and I think it's going to get a lot worse before it gets any better."

"I can't return to America…actually I'm not even sure speaking to you on this phone is such a great idea right now."

"What…" Alec was getting annoyed.

Nothing was as it seemed and every time he made even the slightest headway he felt like he was slipping even deeper into the quicksand of this entire situation. He needed answers and as much as he hated it, after all these years of relying on himself, he needed his team.

"Nate I need your help with this? I can't…"

"HARDISON…" Nate shouted, interrupting Alec's plea, "I can't return to America because they won't let me."

Alec was thoroughly confused and what he needed most from Nate was answers not more challenges.

"Nate tell me what you need. I can make it happen."

"No you can't, Alec," he sounded resigned, dejected.

Alec wondered randomly if he'd ever hear Nate say his first name.

"You can't and I can't," Nate continued, "I have to do what they say…They have Sophie."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"_What_? Sophie…," Alec's breathy reply conveyed the shock and awareness that fell upon him at Nate's words.

A rush of thoughts bombarded him at once.

Their team _was_ targeted. He was convinced now. They weren't the hunters all those years ago, they were the prey. Someone wanted to separate them and didn't want them to reconnect.

Something very bad was happening and it was bigger than anything he'd ever encountered.

"Nate, we're going to fix this. I promise you," Alec was resolute.

Nate sighed heavily, "Hardison, please don't do anything. I already tried. This thing, it's…they've got their tentacles everywhere. And they will hurt Sophie if I don't keep playing along. Stay out of this. Just keep clear. Just take Parker and stay away; go to Santiago or Sao Paolo, anywhere. Just go."

Alec perked at Nate's choice of words- _Santiago or Sao Paolo!_

"….And Alec," Nate continued softly as Alec listened, "it's really, really great to hear your voice."

Without waiting for a response, Nate ended the call and Alec hung on to the dead air as his mind wrapped itself around the information the call yielded.

He took off the head set and turned to Parker, "I'm going to Ireland."

"What?" she responded skeptically.

"Nate needs me. And he's being watched, closely.

"He told me to go to Santiago or Sao Paolo!" Alec finished expectantly as though she would know immediately what that meant but her blank stare reminded him that she was as clueless about their old lives together as she was to her own.

"It's a code we used when we're being watched or listened to. Santiago or Sao Paolo- S.O.S. He was telling me to take you and get out of here but I think what he was really asking for was for us to go there.

"…And, they have Sophie." He ran his hands over his face once again feeling the weariness in his burning eyes. "I'm sure that's how they're keeping Nate in check. They're using Sophie as the bargaining chip."

He turned to Parker and knew exactly what Nate must be going through. Had he known Parker was alive all these years he would have done anything to get her back but he would also have done nothing if he was assured that it was the only way to ensure her safety.

"You care about these people, your…collaborators?" she asked him, genuinely curious about the strange relationship they seemed to have.

Alec didn't reply but the heaviness of his sigh spoke volumes.

"Do you think Nathan Ford will have answers?" she continued.

"I'm really hoping…but regardless, I need to help him and then we can help Sophie."

Alec exhaled and turned away from her and to his computer to purchase their tickets. He'd gotten as far as selecting the airline when he realized he didn't even ask her if she was going with him. He just assumed that it was understood- Parker would want to go to Ireland, Parker would want to help Nate and would definitely want to save Sophie but this wasn't _really_ Parker he was dealing with. This was New Parker and New Parker had her own agendas and wouldn't be taken anywhere she did not want to go.

He stopped his search and turned to look at her unsure of what to say or how to say it.

"Yes, I'll go with you," she answered him unflinchingly before he even had time to formulate a question.

He couldn't help the smile that tickled his lips. That was such a Parker thing to do- reading his silent thoughts, being bolder than him, knowing when he needed to be met half way.

He turned back to the computer and accessed his ID maker program. He selected one of Parker's old monikers- Alice White, and sent the document to process through his card press. He found them a flight landing in Knock International airport, thinking it better to enter Ireland through an airport other than Galway –just in case. Then they'd just drive the two hours to Galway and Nate.

He stood up to walk to the press hoping Parker's documents would be ready but before he could take any more than five steps he felt her at his side pushing him into the nearby holding bay where Lulu was parked.

"What the…" he began but she pressed her finger to his lips and widened her eyes to hold his attention.

She touched her ear to indicate that she heard something outside.

Alec peeked through the sliver of space left by the unclosed door but he saw nothing.

Parker touched his shoulder to get his attention and when he turned to her she indicated that she was going back into the main room. He shook his head vehemently to dissuade her but she ignored his protest and eased passed him.

He watched as she slid down to the floor and soldier crawled to the main door to the loft. She pulled herself into full standing height against the door frame and stood totally still.

She turned her head to him and prepared to mouth, _'Don't move,'_ but before she could finish her instructions the entire door was blasted several feet into the room. The accompanying draft of air sent Parker reeling backward coming to a stop when she hit the wall behind her with a heavy thump.

Alec dove out of the holding bay and ran toward her with no regard for his own safety or concern that additional blasts could be following. But he didn't get very far before a stinging pinch registered on his back and rendered him immobile. The accompanying shock that rocketed through his body and sent him into uncontrollable spasms was agonizing but he still found himself conscious enough to realize he was being tasered.

He couldn't do anything but breathe through the paralyzing jolts, but he didn't have to bear it for very long.

He felt the violent pull of the taser's needles being ripped from his back. His consciousness rushed back in time for him to witness the severe pounding his assailant was receiving at Parker's hands.

He couldn't do anything but stare at her.

It was a Parker he'd never seen. She was moving with the speed and agility of a cat but she delivered her blows with the skill of someone very well versed in several forms of martial art. She made quick work of dispatching their two attackers. He didn't even have time to regain full feeling in his legs and catch his breath before she was already done and patting the men down searching for information.

"Well if they didn't know that I've defected, they know now," Parker uttered with the slightest attempt at dry humor before turning to Alec.

He sat up and looked around the smoke and dust filled room as he tried in vain to reach the broken skin where the needles had pierced his skin.

Parker made her way over to him and squatted at his side to help him inspect the torn skin just under his left shoulder blade.

"How'd they find us?" he wondered out loud and Parker reached into her pocket to retrieve the comm to give to him.

"They must have reversed the signal."

"This place is invisible. I have the best signal blockers and shields…"

She cut him off with a look, "I may not know everything about what's going on but I know enough to know that what they have is better than the best."

She pulled his shirt quickly upward and touched the torn and already swollen skin. Alec grimaced and she apologized automatically. Then she froze as a strange picture flashed into her mind. A picture of her inspecting another injury…a more severe wound…a picture of him…bleeding to death.

Parker pulled her hand away from him as if she'd been burned and she sat back on her heels staring at him without really seeing him.

He felt her absence and looked over to see her staring blankly at a point on his back.

"Hey," he called softly and reached to touch her hand.

She startled and pulled away as she snapped out of her trance.

"We need to get out of here," she offered quickly. "Once they don't report in, more of them will come with bigger weapons and shorter tempers."

She left him and went over to their attackers, pulling the men toward the rubble that crowded where the front door once stood.

He could tell she was shaken but he didn't ask why.

"Way ahead of you," he said as he rose and labored over to the computer. He hit a few keys on the keyboard and looked on a large countdown started on the screen.

"What is that?" she asked as she surveyed the computer screen.

"We're going black in 30. The computer will wipe itself and emit a gas that will destroy all DNA in this room."

"Oh…ok." She was impressed by his efficiency.

Alec turned to the two folded bodies behind them, "we would need to get them out of here. I wouldn't want to be in here when that gas goes off and I'm pretty sure they wouldn't want to either. There's an alley just outside. It's a bit off the street so no one will see us dumping them."

Parker nodded, "I'll do it. You finish up here and meet me outside."

"We'll go to a place I have nearby to change and head to the airport."

She nodded her agreement and they turned to see to their assigned tasks.

She pulled the men out of the loft and into the nearby alleyway removing and tossing their jackets and shoes and littering them with garbage and stale alcohol.

And he gathered the few things he could salvage and that could fit in his rucksack and looked around at his bunker one more time.

"Dammit." He really liked this location. It would be hard to find another like it and duplicate its specifications.

The countdown on the computer flashed 15:00 in large red print and Alec hastened his steps into the holding bay and jumped onto Lulu's molded seat. He pulled on his helmet and revved the machine to life. She barely had a moment to warm before he sped over the rubble and out of the loft as the narrow hallway that led to the alley whizzed past him.

He saw Parker waiting there, hiding just inside where the hallway met the alley, pulling her sleeves over her hands to ward off the cold and he realized in his haste he'd forgotten to collect jacket for them both. Thankfully their next location wasn't too far away- 10 to 20 minutes given traffic and they'd be warm once again.

He pulled up alongside her and helped her to climb into the seat behind him.

She fit snuggly into the groove but she had to press herself flush against Alec's back to keep them both secure. She wrapped her arms around his waist and nuzzled into the hard warmth of his upper back.

Alec revved Lulu's engine again and tore off into the street.

As they wove and wound their way through the cars and streets, Parker found herself acutely aware of every one of Alec's muscles as he maneuvered the bike. She felt the flex and give of his thighs against her own, the contract and expand of his stomach and chest muscles beneath her arms and hands, even the twist and lengthen of the muscles of his back. She caught herself again admiring the excellence of his body; and his mind. The things she saw him do; the things he'd created- by himself no less. He was an impressive man, far more exceptional than any she'd come across in her service to Sonia.

She felt a slow blush warm her cheeks. _Why did he affect her like this? _She didn't understand. He was handsome and appealing but there was something more. She was attracted to him in a way that felt dangerous; contradictory to every instinct she had to avoid attachment, to always put herself and her survival first. He softened her and she did not like the vulnerability in the least. But she could not help it- she was inexplicably drawn to him.

As Parker shifted in her seat she adjusted her hands and pressed them flat against Alec's chest for just a moment before she repositioned them at his waist.

The movement was quick, but his skin recorded the feel of her hands clutching his chest. His heart rate accelerated immediately and other parts of him stirred to life. He wished this was some leisurely ride they were on where she knew what she meant to him and how much he wanted to just turn his head and kiss her or touch her. But they weren't on a leisurely ride and she may never remember who they were to each other and he doubted this new Parker would want anything to do with a silly thing like human emotion. He couldn't help it though- he savoured the feel of being so close. He was inexplicably drawn to her.

Alec pulled off of the street and down a ramp to the basement parking of a luxury residential apartment complex.

"This is…unexpected," Parker whispered as they passed the well-dressed valet who nodded at Alec with familiarity.

"Conspicuously inconspicuous," Alec responded evenly, pulling into a narrow cubby, along an entire row meant for other cycle owners. He powered Lulu down and they disembarked and made their way to the elevator. Alec pressed the button and the gilded elevator coasted up to the 11th floor.

Dark cherry-wood floors bathed in splashes of sunlight greeted them as they entered the exquisitely modern Apartment number 1102. The entire theme of the living room was understated elegance with plush pieces of furniture that ran the full spectrum of muted desert colors. From the unobstructed view of the city skyline to the sheer expanse of the space before her, Parker knew that this was a prime piece of real estate but she couldn't help notice the painfully obvious feel of a place that wasn't really lived-in.

"How many of these little hideaways do you have?" She called to Alec's retreating back as she walked deeper into the living room.

Alec had gone to upload the files he need from the previous computer onto the one in the apartment's office.

"About three per state; five in the busier locations," he answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world, "They're not all so fancy- trust me. Quite a few are basically rooms with a working electrical outlet and a cot. So please don't be impressed."

"_Granted those rooms are in buildings that I own but no big deal_," he whispered smugly to himself.

"That is impressive," she responded quietly from behind him and Alec nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Don't do that," he breathed trying to get his heart rate back to normal.

"I think I would attract some unwanted attention if I travelled with these clothes," she tugged on her shirt which was dusty and riddled with small holes from the explosion and attack.

"I have a shirt you can use, and the pants…um…you can wash and dry them. The flight is not for another six hours."

"I'd like to take a shower too… It's been a long day."

Alec couldn't help the visual he got at Parker's words.

"Umm, sure. The shower's in the bedroom. Please feel free."

Parker nodded her thanks and went into the bedroom.

Alec returned to the computer, his thoughts only marginally on the screen in front of him.

It was a form of torture. He convinced himself he was being punished. He'd beaten himself up for years wishing he'd told Parker how he felt about her while he'd had a chance and now that he miraculously had a second chance he couldn't risk acting on his feelings for fear that it would trigger some kind of mental breakdown in her- or that she'd kick his ass for his unwanted advance.

He leaned back forcefully against the chair and the wound on his back screamed in protest.

"Ahhhhhh," he flung himself forward and stretched in vain to reach the distressed area.

"You really should clean that before it becomes infected," Parker's voice snapped his attention.

Alec's mouth fell open wordlessly as he caught sight of her standing before him with nothing on but her underwear.

The set was plain black, simple, no frills; a pair of boy shorts and a top that had the look and functionality of a sports bra but as she stood before him as unabashed as she would fully clothed. Alec couldn't help but think that he hadn't seen anything as wonderful since his first Christmas tree at Nana's house when he was a child.

He couldn't stop staring and she couldn't move. Their eyes met and held.

"I needed a towel," Parker said at last.

"Ok…" Alec swallowed and tore his gaze away from hers, "I'll…I'll get one for you."

He stood and walked toward her. Parker turned out of the doorway to allow him room and followed him as he passed.

As he walked ahead of her she could see the torn material of his shirt and the raised and irritated skin beneath.

She reached out and held his shoulder to make him stop.

"Wait…," she instructed and he stopped walking, "the injury is really swollen. We should treat it."

She was already lifting the hem of his shirt to get an unobstructed view of the injury and he gingerly pulled it off the rest of the way.

She stared at the irritated, swollen wound, "Does it feel strange?"

Alec couldn't think past the feeling of her fingers against his skin, or the thought that she was standing behind him very near _nekkid_, "Umm, no. It hurts but it's not a big deal."

"Where's the first aid kit?" she asked and scanned the room for the small, white box.

He turned toward her and shrugged his shoulders slightly, "I didn't have room in my bag so I left it. It's fine Par…" he stopped himself. "I'll be fine."

He couldn't bring himself to call her Parker, not until she thought of herself as Parker again. His gaze fell to the floor between them.

"If it's easier for you I don't mind if you call me Parker," she offered and stepped forward, making the already small gap between them even smaller.

Her eyes drifted over the expanse of his chest and she felt her pulse quicken as a blush burned her cheeks. He was beautiful and she felt a connection to him she'd never felt for anyone else.

_She was blushing_. He could see the pink beneath her skin; her neck and her cheeks…and her lips. They were red with the rush of blood that colored her face. And they were drawing him in.

"Ok," he whispered hoarsely, it was taking every ounce of his restraint for him to talk, "I'm trying really hard not to do…."

He couldn't finish. Parker closed the space between then, pressing her body against his, silently savoring the feeling where his bare skin touched hers.

"It's okay…" she breathed softly as she lifted her chin and met his mouth with her own.

By the time he'd parted his lips to welcome hers and wrapped his arms around her bare waist, he couldn't remember any of the reasons he'd been trying so hard to stay away.

_The cold was bearable. The heat was too. The filth, the stench, the screaming that sometimes filled the halls, the hunger that roiled his stomach- all of it he could deal with but the worst thing was the silence. Nearly three years of living inside his own head. Of plotting, planning, thinking, regret. He should have been there. He should have done some more digging. He wasn't fast enough or tough enough and he let them down. They were all dead because of him. He could still see their faces- Nate and Sophie, Parker and Hardison. He still felt the pain as fresh as it was three years ago when the five of them walked into Hastings and only he walked out. Truthfully speaking he broke out. Limping from a broken leg and a nasty gash in his head, only to be caught and captured when he went back a month later planning to blow the place up. He was foolish to go back but he was also stone drunk, unprepared and suffering the kind of remorse that makes a man wish for an end, any end. He'd been careful to avoid that kind of remorse for nearly his entire career but he supposed that's what happens when you begin to care too much, when you put the people above the mission, when death begins to haunt you and the ghosts never leave. _

"50, 51, 52, 53…" his mind always drifted when he reached the fifties. Push-ups were so easy he could reach two hundred and just begin to break a sweat.

A silver haired woman watched with rapt attention as a live video feed that captured his workout.

"Is he ready, Doctor?"

"Yes, Ms. Moreau. Eliot Spenser is ready for your instructions."


	15. Chapter 15

**Happy New Year!**

**Thank you for all of the encouragement, the reviews, alerts, everything. I'm so happy you're all on board for the ride. Truly sorry for the delay in posting- the holidays were crazy.**

**These next two chaps are very P/H centric but we get back to the suspense very soon.**

**Enjoy!**

**RATED K+**

* * *

><p>Chapter 15<p>

She lifted her arms to wrap them around his neck, pulling him closer, holding him firmer to deepen their kiss. He tightened his grip around her waist and eased one of his thighs between hers to ensure that not even air could pass between then.

The small movement was like the lighting of a fuse.

They both felt the charge and something potent and tangible exchanged between them. It was as though nothing existed beyond them- in that moment- locked in each other's arms.

Alec exhaled a soft moan and pulled out of the kiss just far enough to pepper Parker's cheeks, chin and neck with slow, wet kisses and she felt a tiny spark every place his lips met her skin. Parker was on fire. She couldn't see, or hear, or feel anything beyond him, his warmth, his firmness, his presence. She eased them both back against the wall and he found her lips again. This time the meeting was urgent and impatient. They held on as though they were the all that kept the other tethered to the planet.

As close as they were pressed together, Parker still arched her back, needing more of him. Alec unwound his arms from around her waist and hoisted her gently against him, anchoring her firmly between his body and the wall. Parker wrapped her legs around his hips and locked them at the ankles.

He consumed her. She could think of nothing that had ever felt as good as him holding her, kissing her. He made her feel alive. He made her feel free. He made her feel valued. He simply made her feel.

Alec pushed them off of the wall and ambled into the bedroom, still carrying her; his lips never leaving her skin.

He deposited her gently onto the bed and allowed himself a brief moment to open his eyes and really look at her. He swallowed deeply and took a deep breath. He was in love with her. He had been for years. He had been hers from the very moment he met her and everything that brought them here- from working together, stumbling through the awkwardness of their burgeoning relationship, the pain of thinking he'd lost her and the giddy discovery that she was still alive, the crushing realization that she was no longer the Parker he once knew and the desperate hope he felt at every small glimpse she let slip of her old personality, to now, in that room.

His heart raced with the weight of the moment.

Parker opened her eyes when she no longer felt him near and she saw the undeniable emotion that shadowed Alec's face as he stared at her. She sat up on her elbows and faced him and he in turn leaned into her softly, pressing her back into the bed. He found her lips and moved his softly over hers.

The kiss was devastating, filled with all the unspoken words he'd held onto for eight years- the five years they were together and the three he was alone. Parker felt everything he didn't say, with every move of his body over hers, with every gentle bit of pressure from his lips she could feel herself slipping. She felt as though she was falling off of a precipice from which she would never be able to recover. Her heart sped up and her breath began coming out in short quick bursts. She stiffened and a thin coat of perspiration covered her entire body.

Alec felt the change and pulled away from her enough to look at her face again.

Her eyes were squeezed shut and her chest was rising and falling at an abnormally quick pace.

He eased over to lie beside her and reached over to gently run the back of his fingers over her cheek.

"Parker?" his voice was soft, belying the panic that was slowly welling up inside of him.

She was silent and he realized she was trembling.

His anxiety increased immediately.

"Parker…" his voice was more insistent, alarmed, "open your eyes".

"I…can't," she said softly between the broken breaths. "I can't do this."

He was relieved that she was at least coherent. His panic subsided slightly.

"Please open your eyes."

"I don't understand what's happening to me," she whispered without obliging his request and he was disconcerted to see a tear glistened at the outer corner of her eye.

"Maybe if you tell me what's wrong I can help you," he coaxed softly.

She remained silent but he noticed that she'd stopped shaking.

She cleared her throat, "This…is…I've never…," she took a deep steadying breath. "I feel off balance and…this is all…new."

_So,_ he concluded tentatively,_ this was not the mental meltdown that he'd feared. It was a run-of-the-mill panic attack._ But then he supposed nothing was ever routine with Parker and more so now that she was…different.

His lips curved into a small smile born from his great relief. He reached out and gently turned her head to face him.

"Parker, please look at me."

She finally opened them slowly and looked at him with watery eyes.

"This has never happened to me before," she explained softly, "I never… _cry_." She spat the word as though it were a curse.

He caressed the side of her face, "I think you're just finding your way back.

"This…" he indicated to himself and back to her, "this whole thing is probably just a bit too much for right now."

He smiled a small smile at her and she took another deep, cleansing breath.

"It is embarrassing though," she said very softly and his smile widened.

"It's okay; my sexiness _can_ be overwhelming."

She rolled her eyes and his heart melted.

His Parker was fighting her way back. He'd seen a million Parker-patented eye rolls in his time and he'd been the cause of quite a few of them.

"Alrighty then," he sighed, "how about we get you into that shower now."

She looked at him her eyes opening a bit wider and he realized instantly he was misunderstood.

"Oh, no, no," he eased a little away from her on the bed, "I meant for you to go take your shower…alone."

Parker ran her hands through her hair and took another deep breath before she sat up and eased herself off of the bed.

"Where did you say the towels were?" she asked, feeling shier around him in light of their exchange.

"In that closet," Alec answered distractedly and he indicated with his chin. His attention was on her underwear and the amazing body beneath.

"Thank you, Alec," she answered and went over to the closet extracting a pale yellow towel.

She turned to him again, "…and, thank you," she widened her eyes for emphasis and he understood instantly what the thank you was for.

He nodded his acknowledgment and lay back down as Parker closed the bathroom door behind her.

Alec ran his hands over his face and took a deep breath.

"This is going to be a really…interesting."

He sighed again heavily. When he closed his eyes he could still see and feel her in his arms but he felt sure that they would not be in that same position again anytime soon.

They both showered and changed. Parker threw her clothes into the wash and borrowed a sweat suit from Alec that was a few sizes too big. Scrubbed clean of the dust and grime and her polished all-black ensemble she looked small and innocent. Alec had to try doubly hard not to pick her up and wrap his arms around her. There'd be no more of that. Not until she was ready. He would let her dictate the pace, as it had always been, but now it felt especially necessary. He never wanted her to feel unsure with him. He would always be her safe place, regardless of the turmoil it caused within him.

Alec was very near famished and he guessed Parker was hungry as well. They raided his embarrassingly bare kitchen but after deciding that a meal of fried kidney beans and water wouldn't suffice they ordered pizza and sat in somewhat awkward silence to eat before they headed to the airport.

After the meal they took a moment to discuss the trip and align their stories and the plan. They would stop off before they got to the airport and collect a small wardrobe for Parker, one befitting Alice White, Derrick White's wife. They would be the honeymooning couple visiting her father's homeland as part of a European vacation.

Alec explained how they'd make contact with Nate and he reinforced at every turn that under no circumstances were they to voluntarily separate, ever.

He was nervous about their first mission. The stakes seemed very high even though he couldn't pin point the exact source of his anxiety.

He gathered their documentation and ushered her out of the apartment and down into the basement parking garage toward a sleek black BMW. Once they were inside she saw that he'd modified the inside of the car. Buttons and levers covered the dashboard and when he turned on the engine a holographic image illuminated the right corner of the windshield.

"Comm search," Alec called evenly as he adjusted settings on the dashboard and allowed the car to warm up.

"Comm search complete. No immediate activity," the automated voice called back.

Alec turned to Parker, "that's good. That means we're clear for at least 10 miles. We haven't been followed, or there's no radio activity to indicate that we have."

Parker only nodded and turned her head forward. He couldn't imagine what she was thinking but something seemed…off about her. Different.

His 'Spidey senses' tingled again and he wondered if maybe he was projecting his own anxieties onto her.

He sighed heavily yet silently. Asking her what she was thinking was usually a dead end so he let it go. _Just be cool_, he reminded himself. _It will be all good. It will be all good._ He repeated the mantra as he drove out of the parking spot and out of the garage.

The early evening sun hit the shiny black hood of the BMW and made the car glisten. Parker caught sight of the shimmering reflection and let her mind wander.

She felt out of her element. This feeling of freedom, of making her own decisions; it all felt so new… so overwhelming. She was used to being told what to do and what to think. Feelings never really seemed to have a place. Now, though, she was feeling so much and she didn't know what to do with it. She always knew that Sonia was keeping something from her and in the beginning finding out seemed to matter but as time passed she didn't care for truth or answers, she didn't even care so much for freedom. She had purpose. She knew what she was and what was expected of her and it was enough. But somehow it wasn't enough anymore. She had a whole life before working with Sonia; a life that included people that seemed to care for her a great deal; a life that included, perhaps, love.

Alec's smiling face faded into her thoughts and a warm feeling radiated in her chest. He was good and strong and he wanted nothing more from her than who she was.

"…Parker? Parker, we're here. Are you okay?" his questioned jogged her out of her reverie.

She'd been so lost in thought she didn't realize that they'd reached the store. She never let herself get so distracted that she didn't pay attention to where she was going and observe the landmarks around them. She needed to get a hold of herself; she was becoming too lax, undisciplined.

"I'm sorry," she answered mechanically, "I'm fine. I was…thinking."

She saw his shoulders relax slightly. She could tell that he was worried.

"It's okay," he replied, "…but I hope you know you can talk to me if you need to."

She nodded and offered him a small, grateful smile as she looked into his deep brown eyes.

A thought suddenly wafted into her consciousness and she spoke the words out loud, "…you're my friend and I need you."

Alec stared at her quizzically and sat back in his chair, "What?"

Parker stared at him, trying to figure out where the words came from and what they meant.

"I've said that to you before," her words more question than statement.

His memory flashed back to the time he was trapped in the grave and she was his lifeline.

He nodded his head in response.

She thought it strange that the words would visit her then but she didn't dwell any further on what it may have meant. Without another word she turned, unlocked the door and stood outside waiting for Alec to do the same.

In the near silence of the interior of the car he thought for a moment about what had just happened. _Slowly, but surely_, he smiled to himself, _slowly, but surely_.

He turned and got out of the car and he and Parker went into the department store.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

It didn't faze him that she dodged the department store cameras like a cat did water and questioned the functionality of the clothes he selected for their trip. Alec was nearly giddy with relief that she was acting more like old Parker by the minute- in small ways only he could tell. The way her eyes danced when something shiny caught her attention, the ever-so-slight skip she had to her walk, the unconscious way she touched everything, making tactile memory and (he guessed) quality checking.

She stayed close to his side as they gathered the clothes, a suitcase set, and a few bits of stationary she insisted upon before they quickly made their way to the register. They still had over three hours to go before their flight and plenty of time to spare given the only 40 minute trip to the airport.

She walked away from him at the register to look at a pair of very intricate night-vision binoculars. He smiled at the cashier who furrowed her brows at Parker's interest in the set.

"She's a…birdwatcher," he offered the older woman and was met with a sarcastic, "_Umm Hmm."_

At the register Alec saw a collection of pocket sized poetry books and he nonchalantly picked one up. It opened coincidentally to the page with the poem, _Love is Patient_. He read it to himself quickly and impulsively put the tiny tome atop his pile.

He turned to Parker, just as she straightened up to make her way back over to him. The words to the poem hummed in his head and he marveled that she was with him once again.

They were back in the car and on their way to the airport within minutes. Parker was meticulously removing the price and size tags from their purchases and packing them into the luggage set.

"How high is the threat level?" she asked as she pulled the tag off of a green knit sweater. She thought the bulky article impractical…but it was pretty.

"Honestly, we're going in a bit blind," he replied, "I tried to run a satellite sweep but the signal wasn't strong."

"You have access to satellites?" she asked incredulously.

He smiled sheepishly and shrugged his shoulders, "Not legally. I sorta piggyback off of the government signals."

She smiled back at him, impressed once again by his capabilities.

"You're…useful," she offered genuinely.

"Ummm…Thanks, I guess," he turned to her quickly, one eye brow raised in irony.

She chuckled at his reaction and he joined in.

Even that was new to her- laughter. But she liked it. She liked him. _He was her friend and she needed him._ A smile settled on her lips and somehow she felt as though a huge smile had filled her up inside. She felt lighter.

"So, we're operating under the assumption of full alert," she asked and he burst out laughing again.

"What," she asked sincerely confused before a bout of giggles overtook her too.

"Why…are we..laughing?" she managed to get out between gasps and stomach-aching cackles.

"I don't know," he answered as he reined in his amusement, "but it feels good. I missed this….I missed you."

She took a deep steadying breath and dabbed at the corners of her eyes where tears of laughter gathered. She heard what he said and wanted to tell him that she'd missed him too but realized that it couldn't be true. How could she have missed something she didn't know existed? It wasn't possible- or was it? She knew certainly that with him she felt comfortable and she'd even go so far as to say safe and for now it was the most whole, the most balanced she'd ever felt.

They pulled into the airport's long-term parking a short while later and as Alec tapped into the airport's surveillance for any potential lookouts, Parker finished packing her new wardrobe. She had to admit, he had good taste in clothes. They were a little too fancy for her tastes and not as durable given her usual level of activity but they were the prettiest things she'd ever owned.

"Are you ready?" he called to her again breaking into her faraway thoughts.

She smiled and nodded but before she could turn to open the door he stopped her.

"And, this is for you." He held out a small, black, velvet-covered box.

She looked at the box curiously before she reached over and took it from him. She opened the box and her eyes grew wide. A beautiful yellow diamond ring set greeted her as she lifted the box's lid.

"…for you, Mrs. White," Alec reminded her as she stared at him blankly.

"To sell the story," he continued and reached over to take the rings out of the box. He took her left hand and slipped the rings onto her wedding finger. She noticed for the first time that he was already wearing one.

Her rings fit perfectly and the large yellow diamond set inside a circle of smaller white diamonds on a platinum band looked elegant on her slender hand.

She stared at the beautiful jewelry, oddly touched by his gesture even though she knew it wasn't sincere.

"Are we ready," he asked and she silently nodded her reply.

They each turned to their respective doors and exited the car.

They grabbed their luggage, adjusted their clothing to offer a bit more cover, locked the car and headed into the terminal.

Game faces were on- they were both very aware that their mission was officially stared.

Parker visually scanned their 180 and Alec turned on the RF monitor that let him listen to anyone who came within four feet of them, talking into a comm or walkie.

They made their way to the check-in desk without detecting any unwanted attention and after they'd received their boarding passes Parker found them seating along the wall where they could have a clear view of anyone approaching.

Parker sat on the edge of her seat and faced him to help block them both from any facial recognition. As she did so a stray tendril tumbled loose from beneath her cap and before she could tuck it back, Alec's hand was at her face gently lifting the hair behind her ear.

He acted unthinkingly and she knew it. It reaffirmed the closeness that had once been between them and reminded her of the encounter in the bedroom but she didn't shirk away from him and though his hand left her face, his eyes held hers.

"Honeymooners?" A deep Southern American accent interrupted their moment. Parker's face hardened in a split second and she flung toward the questioning party her mind already assessing how to attack. Alec sensed her _act-first, ask-later_ tension and he grabbed her wrists before he looked up at the older gentleman.

The sounds of little children grew louder too, as a group of three including an older woman approached the Southern man.

"Uhm,…yes we are," Alec answered the man and he stroked Parker's wrist with his thumbs, coaxing her to be calm. She acknowledged his touch and he felt the tension in her body lessen even as she retained her unreadable face to the man in front of them.

The older man's face broke into a wide grin as the woman eased beside him and wrapped one arm around his waist. The two children sat behind them absorbed in their video games.

"Yup, we remember what that was like. Don't we Elle?" The man beamed at the woman at his side.

She smiled up at him and turned her attention back to Alec and Parker before she nodded sweetly.

"Fifty years, three kids, and five grandkids, and she's still as pretty as the first time I saw her." He kissed his Elle on her forehead and she blushed shyly.

"Oh, Derek. Stop that now, you're embarrassing these young people," Elle playfully chastised her husband.

"Grandma, grandma, can we get some gum before the plane's ready?" one of the children ran up to the couple.

Elle smile indulgently at the little girl and then to Parker and Alec, "Duty calls. Please excuse me. Congratulations on your wedding and honeymoon."

She took the little girl's hand and started walking off.

"That's my cue," Derek added, "Another secret to fifty years, I never let her out of my sight lest some young buck gets a bright idea to put the moves on my lady." He winked at Alec and tipped an imaginary hat at Parker.

"Be good to each other and never go to bed angry," the old man imparted finally before he extended his hand for his grandson and they followed Elle and the little girl to the newsstand to purchase their gum.

Parker waited until the family was out of sight before she turned quickly to Alec, unsure how she felt about the encounter.

"It's okay," he whispered, "I really don't think they were packing heat. The little ones though, they did look a bit shifty. Maybe we should go check them for wires."

She looked at him for a second before deciding that he was joking.

"It's not funny." She sat back and hung her head low as she spoke, "anyone can be with Hastings. They specialize in unexpected attacks. You're too trusting."

He exhaled slowly, stretched out his long legs and reached into his carry on for the book of poetry.

"The old man was standing over at the coffee stand when we were heading to the check in desk. He's wearing two rings, his wedding ring and a championship ring from the 1959 University of Texas football team. You're wearing a University of Texas cap. It caught his attention. He was walking over to his wife and grandchildren when he saw us sitting here. He's a UT alumni and he assumed you were one too so he was just being friendly. And we must have convinced him that we're honeymooners because he felt comfortable enough in our similarities that he showed how much he loved his wife to complete strangers. I haven't stopped scanning since we left the car and no one's come within four feet of us with any suspicious conversation and I could tell you that the man at the far end of the terminal is an undercover cop because he's been on that same page for the past 20 minutes and the woman against the wall in the other seating area over there is acting nervous and suspicious not because she's a potential attacker but because she's having an affair. She keeps rubbing the inside of her ring finger with her thumb and looking around possibly for someone who knows her or her spouse.

How's that for trusting." Alec finished and propped open his book.

Parker scanned the terminal and saw all the things she'd missed in her single minded search for Hastings operatives.

She was surprised at all the things Alec observed. Once again she was impressed by him, and once again she acknowledged that she felt safer at his side. He was a worthy partner.

She leaned back slowly and hung her head as he'd hung his.

"I apologize," she offered humbly, "You are…very useful."

She smiled and she saw out of her periphery a deep dimple sunk his cheek. He was smiling again.

"What are you reading?" she folded her arms and leaned her head close to his shoulder.

Alec flipped the book closed, keeping his page marked with his thumb. He showed her the cover of the book and she nodded her acknowledgement. He pulled the book back and continued his silent reading.

"Do you find value in poetry?" she asked him curiously.

"It can be very calming, sometimes. Then sometimes it makes you think, or clarifies things you're already thinking about."

"Really; like what?"

"Well,…take this one by E.E. Cummings," he shifted in his seat and began reading, "I carry your heart with me, I carry it in my heart, I am never without it, anywhere I go you go, my dear; and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling…."

He paused his reading to find her staring at him, her eyes glazed and far away.

"Parker?" He reached out to touch her hand

"That was…," she nodded, unable to continue.

He squeezed her hand slightly before letting go, "yeah, I know."

"Does that one calm you or make you think?" she asked when she found her voice again.

He thought for a moment before he answered, "Both."

He looked at her and held her gaze. The hair on her back of her neck stood on end and her chest radiated that now familiar warmth.

"Now boarding- flight 567 to Knock International Airport, Ireland, with connections in London, United Kingdom, Gate 15 A…"

The voice on the terminal's loud speaker called their attention.

"That's us," Alec said waving the tickets. He marked his page and slid the book back into his carry on.

Parker smiled and nodded gently before she stood up and grabbed her bag, the strains of Alec's voice reading the poem still echoing in her thoughts.


	17. Chapter 17

**Thanks for the encouragement. Keep letting me know what you think so far.**

**Now- it's back to the suspense.**

**Enjoy**

* * *

><p>Chapter 17<p>

_She stared off into the distance, over the familiar cityscape; the glass of her balcony door reflecting her beautiful living room even as it laid the dingy industrial world outside at her feet. There was a magical quality to the place at night. Being high above the crowd gave her the distance and the perspective to appreciate its charms- like the dim lamp posts that illuminated a faraway street, hugging the curves of the road to look, to her discerning eyes, like a discarded necklace. _

_The flute of white wine she'd been nursing for the better part of an hour was warm in her hand; the beverage inside flat and tasteless- much like the life she lived now, the life she'd been forced to live for three years. She wore and had nice things and she conversed and dined with mostly nice people but she had no illusions about her station. She was prisoner- albeit in a gilded cage. _

_The click-clicking of the front door lock called her attention and she turned in time to see him step just over the threshold. He smiled at her, his teeth large and immaculate, "You were perfect tonight. Just perfect. Don't forget that we go to the South American board tomorrow." _

_His reminder wasn't warranted. She had a computerized schedule that mercilessly squawked her awake every morning, an unneeded 'assistant' who followed her everywhere like a trained monkey, and her doorway dweller himself charged into her room whenever the mood struck him. _

_But she nodded anyway and turned back to her window gazing. _

"_Why do you insist on staring at that broken down city? Don't you think your time would be better served reading up on our meeting tomorrow or better yet getting your beauty sleep?"_

_She flung an angry glare in his direction._

"_I'm just saying… you don't belong in that world anymore." He shrugged dismissively and withdrew from the doorway, pulling it shut behind him. _

_With another click-click of the door's lock from the outside, he was gone. And she was alone, again. _

_Anger churned to life inside of her and she threw the crystal flute at the door. She'd imagined his face as she aimed but the momentary satisfaction she felt at the release faded quickly. She realized that it resulted in nothing but wasted wine, a few pieces of broken glass, and questions she'd have to answer tomorrow. _

_She was so tired. _

_Nothing felt real or valuable to her anymore. It was funny that she now had access to any of the riches she'd once conned her way into possessing and now that she could request any of them at a whim, she had absolutely no interest. She craved one thing now, the one thing that seemed the most elusive of all for the past three years- freedom. She craved something else too, for a long time until she finally given up. She stopped crying herself to sleep over it and stopped fighting her captors for it- family. She missed them but she accepted that they were all gone from her._

_The room was beginning to feel too small, she needed fresh air. _

_She unlatched the lock on the balcony door and with a protesting pop the door opened, letting in the crisp air and fresh water smell that covered the city. She stepped out onto the balcony and closed her eyes getting lost in the sounds of the bustling metropolis. Her penthouse terrace was so far up that sounds meshed together in a cacophony of undistinguishable babble. Out of the din, a baby's wail arrested her ears and she perked to attention to find its source. She strained her eyes and ears through the streets and windows below but nothing satisfied her search. She smiled and exhaled a deep breath. Perhaps it was a cat or a bird. She took another satiating look at the city and turned to head back inside, the cold chasing her into her warm quarters. _

_Once inside she walked straight to her desk and opened the file on the South American board that her assistant left for her review. She reasoned that she might as well be prepared- a grifter's job is never done._

The midday drive to Galway felt longer than the two hours estimated by Alec's GPS. The sky was gray and the air was brisk and both he and Parker were tired and stiff from their 12 hour flight. But they both decided to forgo rest when they arrived in Knock. They quickly rented a car and were on their way.

Alec jumped behind the wheel- he remembered Parker's 'intense' driving stateside, he didn't want to find out how she drove 'on the wrong side of the road' or on the slick coastal blacktop that extended in front of them. He wanted to reach Nate as soon as possible too. Urgency and his own anxieties were building and he couldn't quite put a finger on the reason why.

Parker rolled her neck and arched her back slowly, stretching out the taunt muscles.

"Are you sure you don't want to stop for a bit and maybe get something to eat, maybe take a nap?" Alec asked, concerned about her discomfort.

Parker closed her eyes and leaned her head back and breathed slowly, deeply, "No. I'm fine. Thank you, though. I'm just gearing up."

He stole a quick glance at her and noted that she actually looked peaceful, calm. Demara's words came to life in his head again… _infinitely more powerful than you can imagine._

His stomach flipped.

He wondered what Parker was really capable of. The Parker that he knew had limits, boundaries. He'd seen with his own eyes that this Parker can go cold in an instant. He'd seen her singlehandedly immobilize two large, armed men without breaking a sweat. It worried him to think there might come a time that she would do something that would render her unredeemable in her own eyes.

He gripped the wheel tighter and pressed just that much harder on the accelerator. He had to get to Nate. They had to figure this entire thing out; they had to save Sophie; and they had to 'fix' Parker.

_He sat on the bench overlooking the cliff's edge. There were many of those in Galway- beautiful, sprawling, breathtaking, natural wonders; popular with the tourists and revered by the locals. He could sit there for hours watching the outsiders congregate at the edge of the world. Daring themselves and each other to go as far to the end as they could. _

_Funny that he would think of them that way- outsiders, when he too, didn't belong. _

_He didn't belong anywhere anymore. Not really. He had no claim to anything or anyone. He could go to sleep and not wake up for a week and no one would think twice about his absence. Life was strange that way. He'd spent so much of his time pushing away any form of attachment that he didn't even recognize it when it found him. _

_For better or worse he became the patriarch of a group of misfits who found in each other what their lives had been missing- whether they knew it or not. And although not every day was a good one, somewhere along the line he grew to expect them to be there, he grew to want them in his life …and then one day they weren't anymore. _

_Some days it didn't feel like it had been three years- the choice Irish liquor helped to erase time. But then some days it felt like it was just yesterday and he was standing in Hasting's Institute, dazed from the blow to his head, watching as Sophie's blurry figure got taken away. _

_And then, yesterday, he heard Hardison's voice saying that both he and Parker were alive and mobilized. That was the most amazing feeling. It had been a long time since he'd felt as good as he did hearing the hacker's voice. A long time since he'd felt…hopeful. _

"_LOGUE…" _

_He turned at the sound of his mother's maiden name. He saw Danny, the owner of the King's Wharf Bar and Grill, waving frantically at him from the doorway of the popular establishment._

_He waved back at the short, red-haired man to signal that he was on his way. _

_He looked at his watch. certainly was prompt. But then again, she'd been on time or early with their weekly phone calls from the very beginning. _

_He stood and took a deep breath in, preparing himself for Sonia's new instructions but as he turned to head up toward the King's Wharf he caught sight of some tourists teasing each other right at the very edge of the cliff. A smile curled his lips. He knew he was the one about to take a huge leap. Even the wind felt different as it beat against his face. _

"Yes, my father's family is from Galway," Parker smiled sweetly at the house woman at the quaint guest house where they'd reserved a room.

She wrapped her arm around Alec's waist and flashed the woman her dazzling yellow diamond.

"Do you know which part?" the woman asked in a heavy yet understandable brogue. Her eyes focused intently on Parker's beautiful jewelry.

"No, that's what we were hoping to find out," Parker smiled again and the woman finally took her eyes off of the ring to finish filling out their registration.

She smiled broadly at them both, "Here is your key. Your towels are in the chest. Please call down if you'll be needing anything. Enjoy your honeymoon."

Parker took the old style key and nodded graciously at the woman as she turned to head up to the room but Alec inched closer to the desk and bent his head to the woman conspiratorially, reading the name badge pinned on her jacket.

"Flora, is it," he smiled hoping he'd gotten her name correct. "We may need to skip housekeeping," he winked at the woman suggestively.

"Certainly. Enjoy your honeymoon, dears," Flora winked back with a blushing, knowing smile and Alec and Parker took their leave.

Once safely ensconced in their room, the two quickly went about making it their headquarters. Alec set up his computer and Parker assembled his infrared camera and perched herself at the window, taking aim at the King's Wharf.

"There's no obvious threat present at the restaurant," she called over her shoulder, "there are six people inside, not including the barman."

"Okay, I'm going to make the call now," Alec announced, ready to spoof the signal to block detection. He crossed his fingers and hoped their plan went as they'd discussed.

He dialed the number to the King's Wharf on his keypad and stilled to listen for an answer. He watched as Parker straightened her back, her focus intently set on the heat signatures of the figures milling about within the restaurant's walls.

"Hello," Alec responded to the answer's greeting with a British accent, "Is..there…a…um Samuel Logue at your establishment?"

Parker flashed him a thumbs up sign, indicating that she could see one figure passing the phone to another.

"This is Logue," Alec smiled as he recognized Nate's voice and then he promptly hung up without a response.

He removed his earpiece and walked over to Parker's perch at the window.

"Do you have him?" He asked her quietly and Parker nodded following Nate's heat trail with the camera.

"He's emptying his glass and talking to the one who answered the phone," Parker gave Alec the play by play.

"Okay, he's leaving now." Parker stood up, she and the camera still tracking Nate's movements.

Alec grabbed his computer and his rucksack and readied himself to leave at her signal.

"He's out," she announced finally and Alec squinted at the tiny dot approaching a tiny white car parked outside the bar.

Alec turned on his RF monitor to check for any chatter coming from or going to the bar. There was silence.

He nodded to Parker, "All clear. Let's go."

Parker nodded her agreement and turned to head out of the room with Alec hot on her heels.

They had the advantage in following Nate in the little town of Barna because there was one main road and their guest house was perched high enough to see a healthy stretch of it. They knew he had to be heading further into town or he would have driven right past them. They jumped into their rental to follow the road into town and it didn't take them long to make out Nate's small white car ahead of them. They kept a safe distance and Alec scanned for any radio chatter.

Nate's car slowed and pulled off of the main road and up a slight incline into the driveway belonging to a small white house.

"There," Parker pointed to a small building that looked to be an office of some kind, "that's close enough." They building sat neatly at the edge of a cliff and at the base of a hill. It was perfect for their plan.

Alec nodded and drove to the lot of the office building and he and Parker turned back to look at Nate's house once more before they made their move.

"Still nothing on the scanner," Alec said looking at Parker, his concern clearly etched on his face.

"I know what you mean," Parker responded, "it is a little too quiet."

"I know if I had a man in exile and two potential threats in play," he indicated between himself and Parker, "…I'd have this place littered with eyes and ears."

"I would too," Parker nodded before she shifted her gaze to the hills and far set houses that dotted the landscape, "but that's not how Sonia operates.

"Anyone and anything could be a threat, don't forget that."

At Parker's words a new worry formed in Alec's mind. _What if this had all been a trap? There was so much he didn't know, so many loose ends that made no sense._

He looked to Nate's house again and he noticed that a window shade had been opened giving whoever was inside a clear view of the office building and of him and Parker.

"Okay," he took a deep breath and turned to Parker, "Are you ready?"

She nodded, "Be careful," she offered although it felt strange to say.

Alec smiled and nodded back at her, "You too."

They adjusted their hoods and covering and Parker tucked her ponytail into her hat before they turned in unison and exited the car.

Alec popped the hood of the car and leaned into the engine bay while Parker walked up and into the building.

"Hallo. How may I be of assistance?" a male voice greeted her as she entered the reception area.

"Hi," Parker smiled beguilingly at the young, rosy-cheeked man, "my husband and I, well we've just had the worst luck today. Our car is just making the most awful noise and we're on our honeymoon and I just wanted to see where my father's was born. He was from Galway and we've been looking everywhere for this little stone castle he used to tell me about, but then the car… it's so annoying."

She pouted and batted her eyes lashes at the clearly smitten attendant.

"Oh that's no good at all," he offered as he made his way from behind the desk, "Perhaps I can go and lend a hand."

She clasped her hands and brought it to her cheek, "that would be so awesome of you."

He approached her looking into her face like a love struck teen.

"It's just out there," she pointed and stepped out of his way, "Oh and by the way do you have a little girl's room? I think I've had one too many 'tinis." She smiled and winked heavy lidded eyes for added effect.

"That'll be that way Miss," he answered blushing at her gaze.

She smiled and reached out to touch his shoulder, "You're my hero,…wait I didn't get your name," she leaned closer to him.

"Rory," the attendant squeaked before he spoke again with added timbre to his voice, "My name's Rory."

Parker smiled and hugged her 'hero', pressing her body into his and in the process relieving him of a set of keys clipped to his belt loop.

"Thank you Rory," she breathed into his ear and she felt Rory shudder slightly. She pulled out of the hug and hiccupped demurely. She put a hand to her lips feigning modestly, and smiled as she sauntered away from him.

She entered the ladies room and waited behind the door until she heard the front door to the building open, then she slipped out quietly and made her way to the back door or the building. She used Rory's keys to open the door and she slunk down the back stair case and quickly made her way up the hill.

Thankfully the hillside was covered in the same tall willowy grass that covered most of the Irish countryside. It gave her cover but didn't impede her climb. She raced up the hill and over stopping at the top of the hill overlooking Nate's house to look down at Rory chatting with Alec beneath the car's hood.

She lay flat on her stomach and scanned the hill tops that surrounded her. She paid individual attention to the houses around her as well, looking for anything out of the ordinary but nothing caught her attention.

Satisfied that she wasn't being watched she shimmied down the hill behind Nate's house and inched along the wall leading to a back door.

She did a visual search for any cameras or wires that would lead to sensors or anything that would detect her presence. There was nothing and Parker couldn't help but feel uneasy at her good fortune.

She climbed the stairs slowly, making sure to keep herself as flat as possible against the wall of the house for added protection. She reached the door and handled the knob to find it unlocked. Uneasiness assailed her and she paused for just a moment before she turned the knob and entered quickly.

The house was a one level, sparsely furnished, man cave. She tip-toed further into the house, her ears and eyes perked for any sudden activity but as she passed the door less entryway to the kitchen she froze. She heard the faint creak of an old floorboard. Her ears tingled to attention, straining for any further information.

The cocking of a gun was the next clear sound she heard and then it was too late.

"I promise you this gun is faster than you are so don't move."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Parker froze. Her mind instantly began assessing the threat and her options. Although the man was behind her, she knew how tall he was, how far away he stood from her, how he held the gun and how ready to shoot her he really was- all based on how he'd uttered his instructions.

She also knew he was no more of a killer than Alec was. His stance suggested he knew how, perhaps he'd even been taught very early in life but it wasn't his true nature. The man behind her was just paranoid and he was more of a talker than a fighter.

"Nathan Ford?" She asked firmly.

"What? Sonia didn't like my answer yesterday, huh? Send you to remind me of my place?" he taunted.

Parker realized that while he may not be a natural killer, the man behind her was on edge. He sounded tired and frustrated- not qualities that lent themselves to reasoning. She needed to act fast.

The narrow hallway didn't give her much room and he was too far back for her to attempt to grab the gun before he could fire. She had only one option. Shock and awe.

"NOW," she yelled out and instantly threw herself flat on the floor. In the seconds that it took Nate to angle his gun for any other perceived threats, Parker turned onto her back and pulled the hat off of her head. She lay there looking up at him hoping her tactic worked. She didn't want to attack him and he was jumpy enough to shoot her if she'd tried pulling the hat off before. She had to throw him off balance.

"Nate," she said the shortened name she'd heard Alec call him, just as he settled the gun on her once again.

He blinked several times as if disbelieving his own eyes. Then his face softened as the realization set in.

"Parker?" he whispered as he lowered the gun.

She nodded.

He took a step toward her and extended a hand, his face breaking into a smile.

She took his hand and allowed him to pull her up and into his arms.

The hug was brief and shocked them both. Parker realized he looked as embarrassed by the display of emotion as she was disconnected from it. She had no recollection of the man but the genuine relief and joy on his face at seeing her endeared him instantly.

"Wha…when…where did…?" he couldn't get his thoughts clear enough for sentences.

"Alec will explain everything?"

"What…where is he?" Nate asked looking toward the front door and then the back.

"We thought it would be best not to alert anyone to our presence here; we're not prepared for a fight."

She reached into her pocket and fished out a comm and handed it to him.

"Take this and put it on at 4pm," she instructed and nodded before she made her way to the back door.

"Parker," he called after her with so much to say it rendered him momentarily tongue tied, "…be careful."

Parker nodded and offered him a small smile before she turned and eased out of the back door and back up and over the hill.

"Your Mrs has been in the ladies for a while. Do you think she's alright in there?" Rory asked Alec, his youthful face etched with worry.

"Nah, no…she's fine," Alec flubbed. After all these years and he still was no good at improv."It's probably just the fish. See we had some of the, um, catch of the day over there at…ummm…"

"…O'Malley's?" Rory offered helpfully and Alec nodded like a bobble-head in response.

"Yup, that was it, O'Malley's and…umm…the catch of the day tasted like maybe it was the catch of two weeks ago. You know what I mean?" he laughed and made a face but Rory's remained unreadable.

"My Da's the cook at O'Malley's," Rory responded and straightened up. Alec straightened up too.

"Did I say O'Malley's; I meant KFC. I'm sorry, I just don't know how to read all this Gaelic, and the sun here is so different and…" Alec began to list all of the problems he and his 'wife' had been having on their trip thus far to try to appease any offense he'd caused the young man.

He was about to resort to squeezing out a few conciliatory tears when Parker came out of the building's front door. She walked slowly up to Rory and kissed his glowing cheek.

"Thank you, hero. I feel so much better."

Rory's face broke into a tremendous smile, his momentary annoyance quickly forgotten.

"Honey," Parker cooed at Alec, "is the car ready?"

"Yeah, I think it just needed a bit of tightening right in that section over there," he waved his hand over the entire engine.

"Thanks for your help, man," Alec said reaching his hand out to shake's Rory's, "I'm sure your Da's fish is awesome."

Parker was already seated in the car when Alec joined her.

They smiled as Rory waved emphatically from the top of the stairs and then they reversed out of the parking space and drove back onto the main road.

"He has the comm," Parker said to Alec. The teasing, flirty tone she used with Rory gone as quickly as it came.

"How'd he look," Alec asked quietly. Parker could hear the concern in his question.

"He looked…tired," she chose her words carefully, not wanting to cause him any further worry. "He hugged me," she added then wondered why she felt compelled to share that information.

"He did?" Alec replied sparing her a quick glance. Three years or not, Alec had never known Nate to be a hugger. He reasoned that exile must have softened him up a bit. He wondered too why Parker actually seemed pleased that Nate had shown her some affection. He wouldn't have questioned old Parker but emotion wasn't something this Parker catered to so why did she look…happy that Nate showed her that he cared?

"There's something else," she interrupted his thoughts, "It's too quiet."

"What do you mean?"

"There's no radio chatter, no cameras, no mics, no tails, nothing at all," she paused to retrace their steps since leaving the airport, thinking back to anything at all that seemed unusual. "That's not the way Sonia operates. Especially with someone she uses as much as she uses Nathan Ford. Something feels…wrong."

Alec didn't tell her he'd felt a similar apprehension but he couldn't put words to his feelings.

"So what are you thinking," he asked instead.

"Honestly there could be any number of reasons for the appearance of silence. Sonia is very skilled at this type of thing," she turned to Alec, "but I think we should leave Galway tonight."

Alec turned to her quickly, with wide eyes, "Tonight? I don't think we can have everything organized to get out of dodge tonight."

"Perhaps," she responded evenly, "but the longer we stay here the more vulnerable we become."

Alec thought about what she said, the words quietly haunting him even as he turned into the driveway to their guest house.

Back in their room, Alec settled and immediately clicked on his comm waiting for Nate to come online. He looked at the time on his watch- 3:57pm.

A soft vibration in his ear alerted him when Nate signed on a minute later.

"Hardison? Are you there?"

"Hey Nate, I'm here." It was great hearing Nate's voice again. The comfort, the familiarity, he'd missed it.

"When did you guys get in?"

"We flew into Knock this afternoon…Nate what is going on?" Alec couldn't hide the near desperation he felt to get answers.

He heard Nate's deep intake of air.

"Hardison, I don't know how big and how deep this all goes, I haven't been able to work out all of the players or the pieces but I know one thing- this thing is global and the ones pulling the strings are very, very powerful."

Alec's brow furrowed, "Who exactly is Sonia and what does she want with us?" he asked, his jaws involuntarily clenching when he thought of her.

"Sonia's nothing more than a high level manager. She only has as much power as the big boys give her. She's incredibly smart and very capable of cracking the whip but she isn't the one holding the reins."

"Well damn," Alec blurted out unable to control his reaction, "if she's not in control then I'd hate to see what the higher ups have in store."

"Yes she's diabolical," Nate agreed with Alec's sentiment, his thoughts drifting back to conversations he'd had with Sonia regarding Sophie.

"Nate what's our piece in all of this?" Alec asked him and Nate heard the building fear behind the words.

"I've been asking myself that question for the past three years and just when I thought I had it all figured out, you called and everything I thought I knew flew out the window."

"So what did you think it was all about?"

"Money," Nate answered quickly, "in the beginning I thought it was a con on the old European families but that's not it. Not by a long shot."

"How'd you figure out that it wasn't?"

"Because Sonia has been using me and my connections and knowledge of the families as a cleaner; giving people multiple records for travel and rights in other countries."

Alec silently wondered about the possible purposes but he didn't have to wonder for very long.

"They're padding their support," Nate answered Alec's unspoken question, "They're planting their support in key places all over the world so that they have the monopoly."

A quick flash of Hasting's old army photo recalled Alec's theory, "I think you're on to something Nate, but this thing feels so much more involved than that."

"I agree," Nate offered and paused, "I think our best bet is to get to Sonia."

Alec looked back to Parker, still diligently sorting her tools.

"She really is our best hope for answers…" he stopped unsure of how to broche his next question, "Nate, do you think that Sophie and Eliot are still…alive?"

He heard Nate inhale and exhale slowly, deeply, "I haven't seen or heard anything about or from Eliot since that night at Hasting's. I haven't even been able to try to find him because I figured I was being so closely watched I didn't want to draw any attention to him if he was safe somewhere. And Sophie, I've heard from," he paused again, his voice dropped when he spoke again, "I haven't spoken directly to her in over two years but Sonia sent me pictures of her, all of them dated."

Alec was skeptical but he didn't know how to voice his true thoughts to Nate. He could tell his old friend was hanging on by a thin thread.

"I know what you're thinking, Hardison. The photos could have been doctored, Sophie could have been killed a long time ago, they could just be sending me those shots to keep me toeing the line…I've thought about all of that but what choice do I have. Thinking anything else would mean that she's…gone."

Alec thought back to the night at Hasting's when he got Parker back and he understood infinitely the tiny hope that Nate was clinging to. Then something pinged his thoughts.

"Wait…you said that Sonia sent you pictures? How?"

"She sent them by courier?" Nate's mind aligned with Alec's. He knew that the hacker was capable of finding the electronic trail of virtually anything.

"Do you remember the name of the courier company?" Alec heard as Nate was hurriedly shuffled papers.

"Looking for it as we speak…ah, found it. Sovereignty Couriers."

Alec began a search for the company and found a Sovereignty Couriers listing in the UK along with their website.

"When was the last time Sonia sent you a photo?"

Nate picked up his latest photo of Sophie. She was sitting at a desk, dressed in a simple sweater and holding an Indian newspaper with the date to indicate that it was recent and authentic. She'd been made to pose with newspapers from Germany and Barbados in previous photos. He reasoned that had been Sonia's crude way of keeping their location undetermined.

"About seven months ago," Nate said softly as he stared at Sophie's face. She looked defiant, even in the face of her capture but he knew she had to have felt alone. He hated that she had to know even one moment of fear.

"Okay, good…" Alec clicked away at his computer. "I'm in," he announced triumphantly.

He hacked the courier company's website and was examining their manifests from seven months prior.

"I've think I've found something," he announced again. "There's a delivery here to Barna…but the receiver's name is Patrick Deary."

"That's the one," Nate confirmed, "Sonia's idea. I think she did that so no one would be able to track the exchange. She always sent it using a different name and she'd let me know the name it would be coming to…She's extremely cautious and paranoid."

"It runs in the family," Alec mumbled.

"What's that?" Nate questioned.

"Sonia's real name is Demara de Castro but one of her aliases is Francisia Moreau," he paused for Nate to process the information before he finished, "…I don't think that's a coincidence."

Alec's hands and eyes were working feverishly but Nate's mind was working just as fast- they both reached the same conclusion at the same time.

"She's in London," the said in unison.

"How'd you know that," Alec asked with genuine curiosity.

"Moreau's base is London," Nate answered matter-of-factly, "if they are connected- and now that I think about it, so many things start making sense- she needed to maintain his stronghold in London."

Alec turned to Parker, who was looking at him expectantly.

"Nate," he began hesitantly, "we should leave tonight. We're like sitting ducks here. We have a lead and we should act on it as soon as possible."

Nate didn't need to be sold, "What's the plan?"

Alec was relieved that Nate didn't offer any challenge, "We're going to wait until it's dark out. If someone's watching your house our best bet is to sneak you out right under their noses."

"But how?"

Alec smiled and turned to Parker again, "I'll let the expert give you the rundown."

Parker tapped her comm to life and explained her plan to an anxious Nate.

When they wrapped up their conversation half an hour later, they were all tense but as prepared as they were ever going to be. The next phase of their plan felt wrought with danger but it also felt like the only logical progression.

Parker wanted her past back, Nate wanted Sophie, and Alec wanted to be able to put the last three years behind him and get his family back- and Sonia/Demara/Sylvia was the key to it all.

The late afternoon sun cast long, lazy shadows around the room that Alec and Parker shared.

Alec busied himself trying to find out as much about Moreau's base in London as he could and Parker was assembling the tools she would need for their escape later that night.

"We still have a couple of hours before we leave do you maybe want to get some rest, some food?" Alec asked as he stood up to stretch his neck and back.

"I'm fine, Alec, really."

His stomach fluttered as she said his name and he was surprised that she still had that effect.

"Don't let me stop you though," she offered and waved her hand at the bed, "Maybe you should get some rest."

"Nah, I'm good. Besides, I don't think I could sleep now if even if I wanted to," he responded with a shrug of his wide shoulders.

"You're worried?" she asked and walked over to stand in front of him.

"Honestly… I am a little," he rubbed his hands over his face and then slid them limply into his pockets. "It just feels like a lot can go wrong. I have this really uneasy feeling that I can't shake."

Parker stepped closer to him again, her eyes never leaving his. "I like working with you," she began softly, "you're thorough, and so intelligent, and you are much stronger than you look."

He smiled sheepishly at her roundabout compliment, "Thanks, I think…"

She smiled softly and shook her head, "No, I meant… I like being with you. You are… a good partner."

He smiled for the simple fact that she was struggling to find the right words. That meant there was some kind of conflict between what she thinks she should say and what she really feels- and he welcomed it.

"We are prepared and everything will work as planned," she continued her pep talk and he felt compelled to throw his arms around her and pick up where they left off in Boston but he leaned in and kissed her cheek instead, lingering a bit before he pulled back.

"Thanks," he told her softly and felt his chest tighten as she smiled warmly, shyly in return.

"I should finish getting ready," she pointed to the clothing on the bed.

Alec bowed to her and swept his hand in front of his chest, "By all means."

She walked into the bathroom and leaned against the door, stunned for a moment by the claminess of her hands and the rapid beating of her heart. She had no frame of reference for the overwhelming feelings but something told her they had to do with her reaction to him. She hated the weakness she felt at the assaulting response but she realized fighting it was pointless- she was more than simply attracted to him. It was as though her body remembered something her mind didn't.

The hour alarm on her watch chimed once to indicate that it was five o'clock. She shook her head to relieve herself of the distracting thoughts and turned on the shower.

Alec tried to focus on the information on the screen in front of him but his mind was bouncing all over the place. A part of him wanted to charge into the bathroom and get lost in the shower's steam with Parker and a part of him was seriously anxious about the plan they were about to execute.

_What if Sonia wasn't in London? What if they were followed or attacked? What if Sophie was no longer alive?_

He didn't know if it was tiredness or tension but he had a pain behind his eyes that wouldn't quit.

He leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

They were closed for just a moment when he felt Parker's hands on his face. He smelled the clean scent of the shampoo in her hair. He felt the soft pressure of her legs as they straddled his. Then he felt her lips at his neck, her tongue licking and teeth biting him gently. He felt her hands caressing his chest and trailing downward, fingers teasing the waistband of his jeans and then one hand smoothly unbuttoned his pants as the other pulled loose her towel to reveal….

"Alec…" he faintly heard her call his name but he could still feel her mouth fully preoccupied on his body.

"Alec…" he heard it again but the call was more insistent and accompanied by a soft squeeze on his shoulder.

He opened his eyes to find a fully dressed Parker watching him apologetically.

"Sorry to have to wake you, but I'm leaving now."

_He'd fallen asleep…in the middle of a job… and had a full on dream about Parker?_

_Not cool_, he chided himself.

"I'm sorry," he rubbed his burning eyes, "I'm up. Are you all set?"

"Yes, I'm going to leave now and I'll be back for you in one hour."

"I'll be ready and waiting downstairs."

"Are you sure?" the hint of a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, "Whatever you were dreaming about, it sounded really…interesting."

_NOT COOL,_ he chided himself again, highly embarrassed.

Parker smiled and left the room.

_A shower was in order_, Alec thought to himself as he rose and ambled into the bathroom. _A very cold shower._


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Parker drove past Nate's house and parked in the parking lot of the office building once again. She checked her reflection in the mirror and bit her lips to redden them. She hiked up the waist of her skirt to make her hemline higher then she pulled down the neckline of her green sweater. She fluffed her hair and caught sight of Nate's house in her mirror before she opened her door and exited the vehicle. He should be keeping watch for her and should be making his move now.

She walked slowly up the stairs and opened the door to once again smile into Rory's appreciative eyes. She began her mental count as she approached the young man.

_1,2,3,4,5, Nate should be leaving his house now, 6,7,8,9,10, he should be making his way up the hill behind the house, 11,12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20….._

"I'm so sorry to bother you, hero, but my husband is asleep in the room and I was just so bored. I thought maybe I'd just go for a drive and wouldn't you know it I ended up here. "

Rory's deep, dimpled smile told her she was on the right track. She just had to keep the silly complimentary talk going and he'd be too distracted to see anything unusual taking place.

"Well, I'm glad to do what I can to make your stay a pleasure," Rory offered without a hint of innuendo and Parker graced him with a wide smile.

"Well maybe you can tell me a little about Galway's history. The tour guides just don't do it as much justice as those who live here," she leaned her head to the side and looked at him beneath seductively heavy eye lids.

"Oh, the history of Galway is best told around campfires and on barstools. It's thrilling, to be true…" Rory began excitedly and launched into an exposition about how Galway came to be.

…_59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, he should be over the hill by now._

"Ok, stop right there," she teased softly and held up a slender finger, "I need to go to the little girl's room again." She laughed, "I have the bladder of a four year old."

She winked at him and walked toward the restrooms.

Instead of going into the room though, she walked lightly over to the men's room and took out a black hat and a thin black coat from her shoulder bag. She eased the men's room door open and dropped the hat and coat just inside the door. As she was easing the door closed she heard the creak of the old wooden door protesting as it was forced to open.

She pulled the men's room door closed loudly enough for Rory to hear and then she walked heavily back over to him.

"So where were we?" she purred and Rory's cheeks flushed with color.

"I was telling you about the cliffs," he answered proudly.

"Could you show me what you mean…I'm a very visual person," she asked and stepped closer to him and extended a hand.

Rory looked like he was just told a naughty secret as he reached out to take Parker's hand.

She led him outside and started her count anew.

_1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10, he should be in the men's room now, 13,14, 15, 16, he should be getting dressed…._

"…and we locals call that Gordy hill," Rory pointed to a small hill barely visible against the night sky and dotted by a single house close to its peak.

"Wow…" Parker replied even as she stole a glance at the building's glass doors behind her, "and what's that down there?" She pointed to a group of large green stones that formed a crude alter. She walked further down the hill to get a better view inadvertently pulling the fixated young man with her- and away from the front of the building.

"Oh, there's a story that goes that used to be the prayer rock for soldiers going into battle and those that didn't stop there on their way into battle didn't make it back," Rory answered.

Parker took a step backward and away from him, "Wow, it's really pretty. Do you mind if I just run to the car and get my camera?"

Rory turned and smiled his agreement and Parker smiled back.

"Thank you, Rory." Parker winked at her smitten guide once more and turned to walk back toward the front of the building.

She ascended the stairs quickly, slipping into the glass door to find Nate walking out of the men's room, the black hat and coat disguising him perfectly.

She reached out to him for them to lock arms and when they walked out of the building Nate reached out to capture Parker's face. She in turn caressed his and they stumbled the short distance to the car like eager lovers, careful to keep Nate's face angled downward to avoid detection.

Once they were safely inside the car and backing out of the driveway, Nate felt a small chill of exhilaration. It had been a long time since he'd been on a con.

"Where do we meet Hardison," he asked a few minutes later, when the initial excitement began to wane.

"He'll be in the lot of the guest house," Parker answered without turning to look at him.

Nate finally understood what Alec meant when he'd said that Parker was different. She was cold, distant. Not that Parker would ever have been accused of being sociable before but this Parker was a different person.

He shifted in his seat and Parker sensed his unease.

"I know it's strange that I don't remember you," she began matter-of-factly, "but I don't remember very much of anything. I believe we can still work well together."

Her words were meant to comfort him, to make him less wary of her but instead they made him sad. Someone tampered with Parker. They took away the spark that made her so unique, so essentially…Parker.

He didn't show her his emotions though. He looked over to her and nodded his head, offering her a small smile.

They continued the rest of the way to the guest house in thoughtful silence, each happy to see Alec waiting for them in the darkened lot, so they could quickly be on their way.

Alec tossed their luggage in the back seat and sat down. He grasped Nate's shoulder firmly and the two exchanged an unspoken greeting, each acknowledging that regardless of how precarious their situation was, seeing each other again was momentous.

"It's really good to see you, Hardison," Nate smiled warmly.

"You don't even know, man," Alec squeezed Nate's shoulder once more.

"Are we still going to the trains?" Parker interjected.

"Yes," Alec answered, "the railways have the least amount of security. So we'll go as far Dublin, then we fly."

Parker put the car in drive and they started through Barna's dimly-lit main street on the way to the Irish Rail station, each of them concentrating on their own hopes for what their trip to London would yield.

"_Danny," the cool voice on the other end of the line sent a chill down the bar owner's spine._

"_Yes, Ms. Moreau?" he answered as he always did, using an economy of words lest she become impatient._

"_Have you heard from Rory and Flora; have they completed their tasks?" Sonia's tone was light even though it held no frivolity._

"_Yes- they've done what was asked of them and they confirmed that Ford and the others have left." _

"_Do you have any idea where they're headed?" she asked, her lightness tightening._

"_No," he dreaded when she asked him a question he didn't have a good answer to, "but I can have someone follow them."_

"_That won't be necessary, Danny. Thank you."_

_Without waiting for him to respond, she hung up, leaving him to release the deep breath he'd been holding._


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

_It had been a long time since he cared about anyone. He felt like a wild thing. A rage filled animal holding on to his last bit of sanity by a string. _

_So when the sweet older woman asked to meet him and told him that she'd been sent by her boss specifically to find him, he was understandably less than amiable. _

_He told her to get lost- in far less polite terms. _

_He was going to rot, because that's what he deserved. His conscience would have it no other way. He'd stopped wondering when Hasting's people were going to come and finish him off and he'd decided to determine his own fate. _

_The 2x4 cell that had been his life for close to three years was what he deserved. No redemption, no forgiveness. Nate once allowed him to redeem himself and look where that landed him. He didn't want any second- or third or fourth, chances. _

_But she kept coming back. Every day for close to a month she would come and sit right outside his cell, knitting, reading, talking to him even though he didn't talk back. She was relentless. _

_And one day she inexplicably made him smile. Then the next day she got him to say exactly one word, 'Why'. By the following week, he was greeting her when she arrived and waving her off when she left, even if just with his eyes. _

_He couldn't take it anymore- he figured he should at least ask. She'd been coming to his cell and spending hours just sitting there for so long his curiosity took root and he wondered what could possibly make talking to him such an accomplishment that she'd waste her time this way. _

"_Why are you really here?" he surprised her one morning. _

_He was waiting for her when she arrived that day and those five words were the most he'd said to her in all her time visiting him. _

_She wasted no time in her response, quickly fishing into her bag to pull out a file and attempt to hand it to him. _

"_His name is Mr. Caesar. He is my employer and a very powerful man with a very large target on his chest." _

_The file hung precariously from her hand as he made no attempt to remove it. _

"_That doesn't answer my question," his hoarse whisper sounding nearly like an admonition, "Why are you really here?" he repeated._

"_We were told by that you are the best at what you do and we need the best," she answered shifting in her seat. He knew she was uncomfortable and he knew she wasn't saying something. He could sense it. _

"_Who told you about me?" _

"_Mr. Caesar is a very well connected man. Many of your past clients are acquaintances of his so he is well versed in your reputation….He is being followed and we believe that someone is going to make an attempt on his life."_

_She looked close to tears but he wasn't swayed._

"_Whoever I was, whatever I did, I'm not that person anymore. I'm sorry about your boss's situation but I can't do anything for you or him."_

_Truthfully he wasn't that sorry. He knew that nearly all of the men he'd worked for in the past were neither helpless nor innocent and he was willing to bet that if this Mr. Caesar was an acquaintance of even half of them there was serious dirt on his hands too. _

_She let the file fall to her lap slowly, softly. She looked defeated and he turned and walked to the back of his tiny cell and away from the bars and her forlorn expression on the other side. _

"_Well," she began again as she fished into her bag once more, retrieving her purse. He turned and wondered if she was going to attempt to bribe him with whatever loose change she had floating around in her wallet. The thought tickled him a bit. _

"…_would you do it for him?" _

_She held out a photo and nothing but curiosity spurred him to walk over to her. _

_As he approached he looked into her eyes and realized for the first time that her eyes were not as warm as he'd first thought; there was an untouchable coldness there. But as he looked to the small photograph she held out to him he forgot about her face. _

_Staring back at him from the 4x6 photo were the clearest blue eyes he'd ever seen. The boy couldn't have been more than four years old. He had the dimpled cheeks, flop of dark wavy hair, and the icy blue eyes of a future heartbreaker. He looked happy and healthy and he tugged at the grizzled man's heart immediately. _

"_His name is Joshua," she called into his thoughts, "he's Mr. Caesar's son and the people who are after Mr. Caesar have said that they're going to take him away."_

_He looked up at her but said nothing. _

"_He's a little boy. He should be happy and playing outside and growing up as normal as possible. He shouldn't be shuttered behind bullet proof glass and kept inside all hours of the day and night simply because of people who are angry at his father," she began to cry and that was the beginning of his undoing. _

_He was silent for a few minutes while she dried her tears and composed herself. He was thinking about another little boy who was always scared. Terrified of what would happen when his father came home, drunk, or angry, or just mildly irritated. No child should ever have that kind of fear. _

_This wasn't redemption, he bargained with himself. This was something he knew he had to do if for no other reason than to give the little boy some sense of normalcy, so he wouldn't be damned to the kind of life where you find yourself making bargains to stave off any kind of absolution. _

_This would be his penance._

"_Two questions…" he began and she lifted her head to him slowly, "One, what do you need me to do? And two, how do I get out of here?"_

_Her lips curved into a slight smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, "Mr. Spencer, it's already been taken care of."_

"I think I have a lead on a possible location for Sonia…tonight," Alec announced when they finally arrived at his apartment at Romilly Street in London.

He sat down with his computer and with a few taps on the keyboard he pulled up the live camera feed of a cobbled street outside an old ornate building.

Nate and Parker hovered over Alec expectantly, both staring at the footage with focused attention but neither knowing exactly what they were looking at.

"When I searched Sovereignty Couriers' website I realized that they are a part of Moreau's holdings and with a little more digging I was able to make a back way into the main company's manifests," he looked to Nate and smiled, "they're having all of these meetings right now with CEOs and company presidents from all of these very wealthy companies from all over the world."

Nate smiled because he saw where Alec's mind was going.

"If Sonia's not there in person, she has to have someone very close to her at those meetings to keep an eye on things." Nate chimed in, patting Alec's back.

"There's a meeting tonight, a big one with the South American Board. It's a group of CEOs from nearly every South American company with a wealth of natural resources. We're talking oil, gold, anything. It's probably the biggest meeting of them all," Alec looked to Parker trying to gauge her reaction.

She'd been very quiet since they'd left Galway.

Their train ride into Dublin was uneventful enough. Although security was lax, they were on guard, scanning the faces of their fellow riders looking for any suspicious glances or activity. The plane ride from Dublin to London was just as nerve-wracking but equally routine.

They'd done a lot in a matter of a few days. Alec wondered if there was more going on with Parker than simply being uneasy but they didn't have the luxury of time. It was almost 9 o'clock. He knew they had to act fast. This was the best lead on Sonia they had so far and regardless of how tired they were and in spite of whatever doubts they may have had, they couldn't let the opportunity pass.

"It's being held at a hotel close to Piccadilly Square. Our best bet may be to go in as staff."

Alec offered and Nate concurred, "I agree. It may be the easiest way for us to mingle unnoticed."

Parker's quiet unnerved Alec, "Parker is everything okay? You haven't said anything since we left Galway."

She stared between them both silently for a moment before she responded, "Doesn't this all feel too… easy? Too…neat?"

She walked away from them to go to the window which overlooked a darkened side street.

"This isn't the way Sonia works. She very meticulous. This all seems sloppy…deliberately sloppy," she finished and turned back to them.

Alec stood and walked over to her. He sat on the window sill, hoping his closeness would make her feel comfortable enough to talk openly, "Do you think this is a trap?"

"I don't know. It all just seems too convenient," she answered, folding her arms

Nate sat down in front of the computer propping himself up on his elbows. He looked at Alec's proximity to Parker and he remembered the closeness they had. The closeness they all had.

"What other options do we have?" he asked softly and neither Alec nor Parker could offer him a response.

Parker could understand their eagerness but she felt a responsibility to ensure their safety. There were things she knew about Sonia that they didn't.

"Ok. If we have to do this tonight, doing it this way is our best shot…" she walked over to Nate, as Alec followed and they proceeded to lay out their plan of action.

"_You were brilliant," the toothy man whispered excitedly as he ushered her away from one CEO and toward another. _

"_How much longer do I have to stay," she snapped quietly, her British accent dripping with disdain._

_He didn't answer, he didn't even bother to look at her but the insistent pressure on her hand where it rested in the crook of his arm told her all she needed to know. It was going to be a long night._

_The first time Joshua's chubby, sticky fingers slipped into his hand and held it tight, the awkward, grumbling man was a goner. _

_He remembered the look of wide-eyed terror on the little boy's face at an energetic puppy in hot pursuit. It was enough to melt even the hardest of hearts. He loved the little boy instantly and the little boy took to him like he'd never taken to anyone else, including his own father. _

_The boy wanted to call him Captain but his tongue couldn't form the word. It became Capin and he in turn called the boy Skip._

_In the few weeks since he'd met the child, they'd already travelled to several countries following Mr. Caesar as he conducted his business. _

_It bothered him that the little boy spent so much time cooped up in hotels when there was an entire world for his little mind to discover. He worked it out with Ms. D- the woman who'd hired him, to be able to take Joshua to explore the cities they visited. He'd be the boy's only protection so as to not draw any unnecessary attention. As it was, he spent more time with the child than Caesar did- he often wondered how the child managed before he came along. _

_They visited the leaning tower in Venice, the Great Wall in China, the Eiffel tower in Paris, and now that they were in London for Caesar's latest meeting with some kind of CEO Board, they visited the London Eye. _

_Joshua was thrilled to go on the massive Ferris wheel and he was also eager to try some of the local food, something his Capin didn't always allow. But against his better judgment he decided to allow just one day of unhealthy consumption…and it caught up with him. _

_Joshua's tiny stomach ached the entire evening when they arrived back at the hotel, until he eventually found relief when his corn dog, fish and chips combo revisited all over Capin's brand new shirt. _

_He cleaned the little boy off and put him to bed but the child was restless and cranky. Capin knew his patience would truly be tested but as little hands kept reaching for him, he found a sense of purpose he'd long since forgotten about. He knew it was going to be a long night. _

"I'm in the elevator bay," Parker announced quietly into her comm and made her way into the hallway seven floors above the ballroom where the meeting's reception was taking place.

Alec was parked in the alley behind the hotel, sitting in a van that Parker had just 'borrowed'. He was following her signal on his computer and awaiting his turn to participate in the plan that she'd devised.

"Okay, I can see you. You're about 30 feet from the mainframe room…Nate are you in?"

Nate adjusted his camera-fitted glasses and smoothed his stick-on goatee, "I'm about to enter the room now." He passed his hands over his slicked back wavy hair and took a deep cleansing breath. He hadn't been on a con of this caliber in some time. He truly hoped it was like riding a bike.

"Cool, now that you're past the sensors, I'm pulling your camera up now." Alec activated the feed from Nate's camera glasses and immediately began scanning the room with his facial recognition software.

"Remember, stay at the back of the room, close to the exits," Parker warned as she found and proceeded to enter the mainframe room.

"Got it, just tell me when you're in so I can make my way…" he stopped and Parker froze too- an alarm immediately going off in her head.

"Nathan…Nate…" she called into the comm. She stopped moving she wondered if they'd been compromised, "Alec…could you see him? What's going on?"

But Alec couldn't move either. He was as lost for words as Nate was.

"Sophie," both Nate and Alec said her name at the same time as they both stared at her, Alec seeing everything as Nate saw it.

She stood directly across from where Nate was posted. She was shimmering in a golden dress and looking for all the world like the most valuable thing in the room.

"What?" Parker called into the comm, "Sophie's here?" Her uneasy feeling flared to life again. Something didn't feel right.

"Nate, don't move…do not let her see you," Parker advised, but it was too late.

Nate was making his way toward her, pulled by a force he didn't question or temper.

"Nate…Nathan…" Parker called urgently but she knew it was of no use.

"ALEC," she shouted into the comm and the hacker startled.

"I'm here. Are you okay?" he responded.

"Yes, I just needed to make sure I had your attention. We have to turn on the alarms now." Parker instructed.

The alarms were Nate's job but she knew he was lost to them now and she knew that once he made contact with Sophie the entire plan would start falling down like a stack of cards unless they made a preemptive strike.

"Now? " Alec questioned, "but what about…"

"We'll work that out after," she interrupted him. "Right now we have to get them out of here. Get ready to come in…and Alec…" she paused, "please be careful."

He smiled and nodded his reply but said nothing. He turned back to the monitor and watched as Nate neared Sophie. He could almost feel Nate's anticipation. It was palpable.

Parker meanwhile injected the transmitter into the mainframe and Alec immediately saw the information come online.

He now had access to every electronic device attached to the Moreau organization. With that he should be able to track phones, computers, anything that would lead them to Sonia. Although as he looked at Nate's video feed he knew that they'd just solved a big piece of their puzzle. Sophie, alive and well and Nate was within arm's length.

"Okay we're online," he announced to Parker, "I'm pulling the alarms…now!"

"Good," Parker replied as she heard the first of the alarms begin to scream, their dancing lights rolling around and around.

The disconcerted hotel guests and meeting attendees were looking around for instruction or confirmation and beginning their slow advance toward the exits.

The chaos was just beginning.

Parker thought of her team, and then more pointedly about the fact that she was beginning to think of them as such.

The old, quiet plan to get in, get out and avoid detection had gone to pot.

It was going to be a long night.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

_She felt the pressure on her arm just as the first blaring alarm caught her attention. _

_She looked at the gripping hand and her gaze trailed up to the face it belonged to._

_She saw his eyes and knew immediately. _

_Behind the strange goatee and the severe hairstyle, she knew. _

_It was her love. _

_She was breathless. She couldn't hear the alarms or see the people milling around them nervously, like sheep waiting to be herded to safety. All she saw was him. _

_He touched her face. His touch was warm and soft… and real, finally real after all these years of dreaming, longing. He was with her once more. _

_He slipped his hand down her arm and grasped her hand firmly. He led her quickly into the crowd, pushing into the middle so that there were many bodies around them. _

_No words left either of their lips but they moved together, understanding each other perfectly._

_Her eyes filled with hot, shocked tears but they didn't break their ranks. The feel of his hand on hers was reassuring and she would follow him anywhere. _

_They shuffled with the crowd as they filed out of the reception hall. She turned for just a moment and saw as three guards off to the sides searched the exiting faces futilely. There were just too many people leaving to register. _

_But for good measure she pinched the chiffon scarf off a nearby woman's shoulder and threw it around her neck before she lifted it onto her head and she and Nate rode the wave of evacuating patrons out of the ballroom, the hotel lobby, and ithen nto the cool London air. _

_And finally she was free._

_The alarms jarred them both awake just as he'd gotten Joshua to sleep for the third time. The boy kept waking up, asking for water to soothe his ailing tummy. _

_The man opened his eyes with a cuss and rushed to the window to see the hordes of people filing out of the front of the building. _

_His jaw clenched. _

_It didn't look good. _

_He picked up the phone to call to the lobby hoping to get some information but an emergency recording came on that urged the hotel's patrons to evacuate immediately. _

_Something didn't feel right. And he wasn't going to sit there defenseless._

_He ran over to the sleeping boy and gathered him into his arms. _

"_Hey Skip, we're going to go for a little ride okay?" He coaxed as gently as his gruff urgency allowed. _

"_To The Eye, Capin," Joshua asked groggily. Even in sleep he was excited to visit the rotating spectacle. _

_As he threw the boy's jacket over his tiny head, Joshua snuggled closer, easing his face into the space between the man's rock hard shoulder and stubbled cheek. _

_He paused for a moment adjusting the boy's weight as he prepared to leave the room and although he was in a hurry, the significance of the moment wasn't lost on him. _

_He would give his life to protect the little boy. _

_He remembered the promise he made to himself a few years ago, that he would never again do more than he had to to subdue an assailant but he knew he'd kill anyone who tried to hurt the child in his arms. _

"_Alright Skip. Here we go," he said softly as he opened the door and peered to the left and right. There was no one there but he could hear the noisy march of people making their way down the stair cases on either end of the hallway. _

_He ran to the right side exit, having remembered that the exit to the back alley was to the right side of the building. He would not go through the front of the building. He knew it would be a mob scene and he could too easily be overwhelmed. He liked the odds of the unexpected. _

_He eased into the stairwell and joined the crowd, grateful that he only had three flights to descend. Although the people were courteous because he was carrying a small child, the tight space and vulnerability made him even jumpier. _

_Getting out into the fresh air of the back alley couldn't have come soon enough but he didn't rush out of the back door. __He cautiously scanned the darkened passageway and noted a seemingly abandoned dark colored van parked at the far end. _

_He tensed for a moment and unconsciously waited for an attack but when a few seconds passed and no one emerged, he thought around his paranoia and walked quickly in the opposite direction. He exhaled a quick breath when he reached the bright lights of the heavily populated street. _

_A taxi was passing just as he exited the alley and he nearly ran into the street in his attempt to secure it. The drive stopped and helpfully flung open the door._

"_Barton Street," he said as he settled himself and the boy into the back seat, "I'll give you a hundred pounds if you take off the meter and take only back streets."_

_The driver eyed him skeptically through the rear view mirror but drove off and turned down a residential street. _

_The man looked down at the sleeping face of his young charge and took a deep breath. He wondered if anyone was even concerned that they'd made it out safely. He swore, sometimes the boy's father treated the child like disposable property. _

"Parker," Alec called, "Where are you? I've lost your signal."

He hated not knowing where she was.

It was his idea that they never separate. He stressed it, he planned around it, yet here they were with him on the outside of the building and her on the inside and out of contact.

"Dammit," he bit out as he watched the growing crowd at the front of the hotel through the security cameras.

He lost Nate's feed as he and Sophie exited the hotel and Alec suspected there was a signal blocker at work.

It was messing with his comms and the transmitter that Parker planted and Alec didn't know if to stay put and wait for them to return to the van or go in after them in case they were in trouble.

As the seconds ticked on he grew more and more agitated, positive that someone should have made it back by then.

"That's it…," he finally ground out and climbed over the front seat of the van and jumped into the back to grab his rucksack. He was going in.

As he inserted and adjusted his comm, something out the van's back window caught his attention.

The back door to the hotel had opened. He stopped to see if either Parker or Nate and Sophie had finally found their way to the alley.

He froze and watched out the tinted window as a man holding what looked to be a small child, stared up and down the alleyway. He couldn't see the man's face clearly but he realized it wasn't anyone from his group. He turned away to see to the fastening of his bag's straps.

It wasn't until he looked up again and caught the turn of the man's head as he stared at the van that he realized who it was.

"Eliot..." he grasped for the handle of the van's back door. "Eliot," he called again and looked down when several of his attempts to open the door proved futile. There were no handles on the inside of the rear doors. The doors were controlled by a button on the dashboard.

"DAMMIT… ELIOT," Alec shouted as he dove to the front of the van and attempted to get out.

He knocked over his computer, got held back by the rucksack as it snagged on the arm rest and nearly dislocated his shoulder trying to get out of the van but as he burst out of the door breathless and frustrated, he looked up to see the alley clear and Eliot, gone.

He raced toward the other end of the passage into the bright and busy street. He looked both ways for any sign of his friend but realized dejectedly that in the throng that strolled there, finding Eliot would be close to impossible, especially if the hitter didn't want to be found.

"Dammit," he cursed as he turned back into the alley and walked back to the van. He comforted himself with the fact that he at least knew that his friend was alive. It was as good a place to start as any.

"_There you are Mr. Hardison," the coolly satisfied voice cooed quietly at the monitor that provided a video feed from the alley's cameras. "I was beginning to think that I'd lost you."_

"_This was a spectacularly awful night," Nicaro Caesar broadcasted as he sat himself down heavily in the plush recliner behind Demara de Castro. _

"_I disagree , Nicaro," she responded evenly, as she reached into the draw beneath her desk and retrieved a pair of soft leather gloves, "I think tonight was the first night that went as planned in a very long time."_

"_She's gone, Sonia," he emphasized the words by sitting at the edge of his seat and leaning toward the older woman, "Your little grifter has disappeared, with all of the knowledge of everything we have planned."_

"_No," Demara countered softly and with icy indifference. "Sophie Deveraux was just a part of the plan, as were Nathan Ford, Alec Hardison, Eliot Spencer, and our friend Parker."_

_Nicaro Caesar watched her expectantly waiting for her to clarify her point. _

"_You see, Nicaro," she turned away from him and back to the monitor that recorded the alleyway, "everything that has happened here has been prompted and guided to happen. We've accounted for every contingency to ensure that we have the outcome that best suits our needs." _

_She slipped her hands into the butter-smooth leather gloves and then pressed one key of her computer's keypad to open a file. She typed in the twelve digit access code and looked on as a program opened. _

_Then she turned back to Nicaro. _

"_Do you know what this is?" she asked, not expecting him to answer. _

_He stared at the file over her shoulder and through all of the technical jargon he made out three words close to the top of the document: Divide And Conquer._

"_You see, I've found their vulnerabilities and I exploited them," she admitted unabashedly._

"_How long have you been planning this?" Nicaro asked noting silently how the air suddenly felt colder in the room._

_She sighed and leaned back into her chair. _

"_I became aware of Nathan Ford and his merry men when they orchestrated the downfall of…an acquaintance of mine. I followed their exploits and studied them. I realized that they played by their own rules and abided by their own code. Then the need arose for their individual skills and so I created this contingency matrix which began the night of the Hasting's break-in."_

"_You couldn't have possibly accounted for everything that happened that night," he bowed his head to her knowingly._

_She smiled, a cold, menacing leer, "You underestimate me, Nicaro…"_

"_Alec Hardison died that night," he bit back sarcastically and she stared at him with a look that would have made smarter men shake._

_She turned away from him and back to the monitor watching as Alec reentered the van, "Yes Alec Hardison died that night," she confirmed. "but computers are incredible aren't they? It's amazing that with one tiny chip I could give a man life…and with one press of a button, I could take it away."_

"_Sonia, this has gotten far too involved for me," Nicaro announced and sat back in his chair._

_He didn't see when she reached for the small metal object and closed her leather clad fingertips over its base. He didn't hear as the safety clicked softly into place. _

_But he felt it- even if just for a brief moment, when the bullet pierced his heart. It burned and then it ached. And then he felt nothing._

"_Yes Nicaro, this has gotten far too involved for you….but I've only just begun."_


	22. Chapter 22

**It's been a looo-h-oong time and I'm sorry for the delay. Thanks for hanging in there with me and thanks for coming back to the story. **

**Thank you Chi Guy for your review. It really gave me a boost and made me smile. Sincere great big thank you to everyone who submitted a review, or alerted the story. It really means a lot when you take the time to say what you think of it. I really do appreciate it and it makes it that much easier to write knowing that someone's looking forward to what happens next. **

**I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 22<p>

Alec took the darkened stairs two at a time.

The sweat traced his face and arms and back as he climbed, and his panicked heartbeat hammered in his chest.

He barged onto the second story landing of the old London apartment building, and sprinted down the hallway toward his hideaway.

He stopped at the door and passed his magnetic card over the hidden access pane, taking an uneasy breath as the lock gave. Something inside of him knew she wouldn't be on the other side…but he was acting solely on faith and hope.

"PARKER!" he called loudly as he stepped over the threshold and closed the door behind him.

He called her name a second time and looked around the quiet, undisturbed room.

It had been over an hour since his last communication with her. He couldn't sit in the alley any longer. He knew she wasn't coming back.

_Dammit. _

He cursed and hurried over to the computer.

He accessed the locator beacons inside the comms but neither Parker nor Nate was online. They were in the wind and Alec was at a loss as to where in the bustling city they could be hiding.

He ground his teeth in frustration and lumbered over to the window.

He couldn't believe it was happening again. He had them all in his reach. How was it that he was alone, again? How did it all become so complicated so fast?

His mind replayed the events of the past few days and the almost unbelievable coincidences that brought each member of the team back into his life. There were too many happenstances, too many near-misses. It was as though the entire thing had been orchestrated.

But by whom, and to what end?

Alec could have kicked himself for not being more watchful, more cautious, more suspicious. If Nate had ever taught him anything it was to keep it simple. It was the cardinal rule that had always served them well in the past. He should have seen the convolution and the potential threat. Everything that happened had been planned- he could feel it. He was being lead almost from the very beginning of this entire thing. Every meeting, every conversation, every path of reasoning was calculated by a master manipulator and although he hated where his mind was taking him, only one thing made sense:

Parker had to be a part of it.

He could see no other way for it all to have unfolded the way it had without her involvement.

He felt sick.

She was a different person and somehow he still managed to fall for her all over again.

The only thing that saved his sanity was the realization that Parker was indeed a different person and she was being manipulated by someone else- he was certain of it.

She needed his help as much as Nate, Sophie, and Elliot did.

Sudden inspiration struck and Alec didn't question it. He returned to his computer and inexplicably accessed the file that listed recent activity on his network. He scanned the list until one search grabbed his attention. It was the one thing on the list that he had no recollection of.

"Domino," he repeated the word to himself and reanimated the search.

The thin, bright neon green lights of the map's grid lit up his face and he stared at the small dot near the center of the screen in disbelief.

He realized instantly what it was. In hacker circles it was a myth and in criminal circles it was shrouded in smoke and mirrors. But if the biographic data he was reading was correct, Domino was very real… and, from the little he knew, very dangerous. No one outside of the few scientists that worked on the machine knew all of its capabilities but the rumors ranged anywhere from universal credit card mimic to the mother of all weapons of mass destruction.

He didn't know what to believe but one thing was certain, Domino didn't belong in dangerous hands. Its reach was far and it could very easily be a global threat.

Alec's heavy sigh echoed in the empty room.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked himself. Something urged him to follow his intuition and cross reference Domino with Moreau's company holdings. He was skeptical that it would yield anything though. Sonia was nothing if not carful.

But the instantaneous ping he received offered him the slightest hope that maybe his luck was changing.

Sonia was careful…but the people she worked with were not.

It was mentioned only once and very obscurely in an email that Sonia received from Nicaro Caesar but it was there in black and white and the pieces slowly began to fall into place:

_ Domino is primed, all we need is the key. Sinclaire has been getting anxious._

_ I've tried to assure him that his victory is secured but we need to move quickly._

_ Caesar_

Alec couldn't think of what to do next. This was bigger than anything he would ever have imagined. Sonia was securing the US Presidency and somehow this super machine was involved. Absolutely no good could come even if only a half of his suspicions were to come true. He had to stop her but then he also had to find and rescue his friends. He wouldn't lose them again.

Alec sat back in his chair, frozen into inactivity by the weight of the daunting task ahead of him. He felt that anywhere he turned something was bound to slip through the cracks. The question remained: Which could he risk leaving to chance- the fate of the world or the lives of the people who'd become his family?

He took a breath and stilled his racing thoughts.

"Begin at the beginning," he repeated Nana's mantra.

One thing nagged at him though, he still couldn't figure out how the team fit into Sonia's plan and why they were targeted in the first place. There didn't seem to be any connection between them and the machine and rationally he knew that she could have hired any group to help her secure the presidential bid. There had to be something he was missing and until he made the connection she'd stay one step ahead of them and make their lives exceedingly difficult. He knew he had to make a preemptive strike and go after Sonia himself. It was settled.

Once he'd made up his mind, any doubts he had were pushed to the fringes by determination and a fair bit of adrenaline.

"Code orange- Nathan Ford," he called into the air and the computer began to whir, acting on his command.

He looked into the computer's camera and spoke, "Nate, Sonia is going after Domino. I don't know if that rings any bells but it's bad news. And if she gets it she'll be a whole hell of a lot more trouble than she is now. Everything I know is under the file called Moreau…oh and one more thing, Elliot is alive. I saw him leaving the hotel tonight. I'm sure he's got some connection to all of this somehow but I don't know what. I couldn't catch up to him and I have no idea where he is now…."

He muttered under his breath, "…I really hope you get this," and he ended the recording.

Alec typed in a few keys and closed the program, locking it so that no one by Nate would be able to access it.

He stood and looked around the room once more. He made his way to the door and an ominous feeling settled over his resolve. He closed his eyes and rolled his head back willing the anxiety away before he opened the door and wrote a code on the door only Nate would understand.

Then he pulled the door closed quietly behind him and walked down the hallway. The ominous tide he was trying desperately to keep at bay growing more turbulent with each heavy step.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

_Their eyes held. It had been so long that they looked at each other. _

_No words seemed to fit the moment as they sat huddled close in the back seat of the taxi. _

_He noted that she looked small…and delicate. Sadness had etched itself into the curves of her face, but she was still beautiful. So breathtakingly beautiful._

_Her gaze caught the streak of silver gray hair at his temples, and how they seemed to come straight out of the laugh lines that crinkled his face when he smiled. _

_She wondered strangely how many of his smiles she had missed. _

_He squeezed her hand, held firmly in his and she pressed a little tighter into his side. _

_They each silently swore they'd never be separated again. _

"We're here," the taxi driver called into their interlude, "1550 Brixton End. That'll be… £22."

Nate looked out of the window to confirm they were indeed at the location of Alec's hideout before he reached into his pocket for the money.

He'd given the driver the address for the building two doors down from Alec's place- just to be on the safe side. And he'd made the driver circle the block once. He couldn't admit to himself whether he was just being cautious or prolonging his time alone with Sophie. He knew once they met with Alec and Parker they'd be on _'go'_ time until the whole sordid mess had been worked out.

While he settled the bill with the driver, Sophie looked both ways along the dark street for any sign that they were either followed or being watched. Paranoia was something she couldn't shake, not even in the midst of the overwhelming joy and relief she felt at being at Nate's side again. Three years of constant and unyielding vigilance could make anyone feel as though even the trees had eyes.

She realized that Nate had left the car when she felt the coolness of his absence settle against her leg. She'd gotten quickly lost in her caution and watchfulness but the sight of his hand reaching out to help her exit the car brought her back to him and the small measure of freedom she felt once again.

They stood on the sidewalk and Nate pulled her into a sudden embrace, taking her off-guard but only just. She saw the way his eyes travelled stealthily along the rows of parked cars as the taxi drove away. Their cocoon was gone and they were once again thrust into the cold night and all the dangers that lurked.

A chill shook her and his eyes once again found hers.

"Are you okay?" he asked rubbing his hands along her slender shoulders. He'd long since offered his jacket but he knew her gold cocktail dress wasn't enough of ward off the cold of a London night.

She nodded and tried to manage a reassuring smile. He smiled back and kissed her cheek in earnest before taking her hand and leading her to the hideout.

He was satisfied that if anyone were to attack they'd have done it already. His only concern was what they'd find when they met the others inside.

* * *

><p>"Mr. Spencer, where are you?" Eliot gripped his cell phone a little tighter. He heard her question but there was something lacking in her tone: genuine concern.<p>

He pulled the blanket higher over Joshua's chest and walked lightly away from the sleeping child.

"There was an evacuation order at the hotel," he responded, keeping his voice even despite the rising annoyance he had started feeling at how long it took anyone to contact him.

"We know. Mr. Caesar's meeting had to be cut short," she said.

He couldn't hold his tongue any longer.

"The kid's fine by the way," the sarcasm dripped icily off of his words.

She laughed nervously- a high, insincere sound.

"Of course he is, Mr. Spencer. We had no doubt. We know that Joshua is safe in your hands…Where are you?" Her voice changed very subtly and he heard the hitch, the loaded edge to her words. He'd been around too long and had seen too much to ignore the way his hackles rose.

"Where's Caesar?" he asked, blatantly ignoring her question.

"Mr. Caesar had to return to the States," she answered stiffly. Her voice didn't waver or hesitate but he immediately knew something was wrong.

There was no remorse, no regret that the man had to leave his child behind. She spoke her words almost as a challenge.

His mind raced and he reached the realization that she'd likely been in charge from the very beginning.

"Where are you Mr. Spencer?" she asked again attempting levity but he sensed there was a sinister motive for her curiosity.

"How about I just come to you? I think it would be easier," he offered expectantly. He knew he'd find out what he needed to know by how she answered.

"No," she responded softly yet firmly, "that won't be necessary. You and Joshua just rest until morning. He's probably so tired from all of the excitement of today. I'll just phone you in the morning and we'll arrange for a car to collect you both. How does that sound?"

The cheeriness was back in her voice as well as the syrupy sweet concern for the little boy. Eliot wasn't buying it.

"Sounds like a plan," he answered and clicked the phone shut without another word. He looked at the timed display for the length of the call. Just a little over 3 minutes. He wondered if that was enough time for her to trace him. It didn't matter. He knew he was compromised. He didn't know exactly what was going on but whatever it was, he and Joshua were not safe in his old Army buddy's London flat.

He'd hoped the man would have been there but by the level of dust that coated everything in the room, Eliot suspected that no one had been there for at least six months. It was probably for the best, he didn't want to get anyone else involved in whatever it was that was happening.

He folded his arms over his chest and looked back over to the couch where the little boy was still sleeping soundly.

_What's going on? Something's seriously not right here._

They had to leave. He knew a retrieval team could be scrambling to his location already and he couldn't fight his way free with Joshua on his hip.

_But where could he go?_

It was sheer luck that his old friend left the key to the flat in the same place that they'd always agreed upon. Everyone from their old Army unit was free to use the space in a pinch. It was one of the benefits of being a part of a team and he'd been lucky to know the unconditional loyalty of such a connection twice in his life.

Dammit- No time to walk down the memory lane of '_whatifs'_ and '_ifonlys'_; He had to move.

He turned the phone off completely and removed the battery and SIM card rendering the machine untraceable and then he gathered the sleeping child.

"I'm really sorry bud. This probably has been the longest day ever. But we'll stop moving soon," he offered softly against the boy's head.

Joshua was none the wiser and his unconscious head rolled limply from side to side as Eliot gently jostled him into his little jacket and covered him with the blanket.

He sighed heavily as he lifted the child and made his way out of the flat.

He stopped when he reached outside and pushed the old style key back into the earth at the base of the hedge that lined the front of the tiny house. He said a silent thank you to his gracious friend and looked along the street for his quarry.

He found what he was looking for in a roughly twenty year old Mercedes Benz, parked three cars away from where he stood. They car looked just worn enough to be in working order but not secured with any fancy alarms.

Eliot looked up and down the street and walked stealthily over toward the vehicle.

As he reached it, he once again looked along the street and skimmed the houses close by before leaning against the passenger window. He eased Joshua higher on his shoulder, holding the boy tight as he pressed a splayed palm against the glass and applied just enough strength to force the window open wide enough to slip his hand in and open the door.

He paused when he heard the small pop of the door latch releasing so he could look around once again. Joshua was still fast asleep and Eliot was truly in awe of the little boy's ability to sleep so soundly.

Assured that no one was looking on or that there was no alarm he reached into the back and unlocked the door so he could deposit his resting charge. Once he secured the child he set about accessing the car's wires so he could start it without the keys.

In less than two minutes the car was revving and they were on their way.

"Okay," he whispered to himself, the words squeezing themselves between his clenched teeth, "this is the last place I really want to go but…" he looked at the little bundle wrapped warmly in the back seat, "it's my only option at this point."

A quick moving procession of three heavily tinted black cars caught his attention as they drove past him and toward the house he'd just left. His gaze followed them as they stopped in front of his friend's house and approximately seven men rushed the compound from all sides.

They could have been there for anyone of his friends who visited the house. They'd all made their share of enemies over time through their various after-discharge private missions but he knew this particular recon team was sent for him. The goons had the look of pay-to-play hired muscle, not soldiers. Their stance gave them away.

He watched them as long as he could until he reached the end of the side street and had to turn onto the main road. He hoped against hope that his next stop would be safe and that he could finally begin to get some answers.

* * *

><p><em>Orange. F.A.T.H.E.R. Faith. Friend.<em>

Nate silently read the words scribbled hastily in Alec's handwriting on the door and alarm bells sounded in his head immediately.

"Orange," Sophie whispered to his back as she scanned the dim hallway, "that's never good."

Nate shook his head and knelt to retrieve the door's access card from his sock. He was grateful Alec insisted they each had their own key to reenter the room even though none of them could have predicted the night would have turned out the way it had.

The note was obviously a code; He only hoped his mind and Alec's were still in sync after all this time.

The key card opened the door and he and Sophie entered the empty room quickly. Nate immediately went to Alec's computer.

"Do you think they were together?" Sophie asked him softly. She was still reeling from the fact that Nate, Alec, and Parker were still alive- had been alive all this time. Nate explained as much as he could as they made their way through the city running from the security team that had chased them from the hotel.

She thought about all that she'd had to endure for the past three years alone and how much of it she did simply because she'd stopped caring. If she'd only known that there was hope…

"I really don't know," his answer jarred her out of her thoughts, "we all lost communication at the hotel. Parker should have been able to make it back to the van but I don't know…she's…different."

Sophie couldn't imagine this strange new Parker as Nate described. An unstable, amnesiac, who may or may not be under someone's control? It all seemed so strange. But after all that she'd done and seen in the last few years, she couldn't put anything past anyone.

She walked over to Nate and stood beside him as he logged into Alec's computer. Her need to be near him as potent as it had always been; renewed with vigor after so many years apart.

"What do you suppose he meant by the code on the door?" she asked him as the computer finally readied for his instruction.

"It's a Roman Room access with answers only I would know, I suppose, in case anyone else found this place before we did."

"So how do we figure out where we enter the answers?" she asked as she looked around the desktop blindly.

Nate was silent for a moment until he remembered that Alec had reached an entirely new level of security with his computers.

"Code Orange," he announced loudly and Sophie startled and looked at him strangely.

"Wha…" she began but was interrupted by the computer's verbal response.

"Code Orange has been initiated," the automated voice called back and the desktop screen faded to black with an orange blinking cursor line.

Sophie sat stunned and awed by the hacker's ability to always go beyond the expected. She had missed him, not his gadgets or geeky, awkward intelligence but the caring, sensitive person she'd come to know during their time together.

"Nathan Ford, voice match. Hello Nathan Ford," the computer greeted him, "Code Orange has been initiated. Enter answer sequence."

"Umm…father," Nate repeated and he typed 'Jimmy' onto the blinking orange line.

"Invalid entry," the automated voice rebuffed and Nate looked at Sophie. Sophie shrugged her shoulders in futility and Nate looked at the screen thinking hard about what else the answer could be.

"Dammit Hardison," he muttered to himself as no other answers came to mind.

"Wait a minute," Sophie interrupted, "maybe it's not what you enter but how."

Nate looked at her, his confusion clear.

"Look, remember the word father was written differently. It was capitalized and initialized. Perhaps you're supposed to enter your answer that way."

Nate nodded and shrugged, he supposed anything was worth a try.

_J.I.M.M.Y. _

The computer didn't say anything but the orange cursor began blinking on the second line.

"That was it," Nate smiled and looked over to Sophie, who was leaning on the desk beside him, her eyes excitedly wide at the simple pleasure of working out the puzzle. It was small and intimate and it was worth more to him than anything. He reached out and held her hand. She stilled at the touch and looked into his eyes. Nothing needed to be said. It was understood by them both.

"So…," Sophie said softly, "faith?"

"That's easy," Nate replied and set about entering his answer, "Hardison knows I was an Altar boy back in the old neighborhood."

_roman catholic_

He entered the words just as the clue was written and again the computer didn't respond. The orange cursor began blinking on the third line.

"One more," Sophie urged.

"Yeah but that's a tough one," Nate responded. "Who's my friend?"

He thought for a second and then typed in _sophie_ but the automated voice rejected his choice.

Sophie smiled and shook her head, "I'm flattered but no. You have to think as Hardison does."

Nate looked at her, the expression on his face telling her he didn't understand.

"Here…" she leaned in close to him and sat on his lap.

Nate didn't know what she was doing but he wasn't about to question it.

Sophie smiled at him then she turned to the computer and typed in the word _booze_.

The black screen on the computer faded to white and several file windows opened layered on top of each other. Nate could make out a few of the top most window titles. They were called De Casto bio; Hastings Institute; and Domino.

And then the video Hardison left them opened automatically.

Nate and Sophie huddled close and viewed the short recording each noting the hacker's look of determination and when he informed them that Eliot was still alive and that he was at the very hotel they escaped from that night they both took a sharp breath.

The entire situation was getting murkier by the minute.

Then they viewed a few of the files and some pieces began to fit but there were still gaping holes. Neither Nate nor Sophie could see a definitive direct link to the team to answer why they were targeted.

They had to find Hardison. Nate knew that should be his next step. He accessed the comm tracking program like he'd seen Alec do so many times and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the red blinking light that signaled Alec's location. He noticed that his and Parker's comms were both off line. He knew his would be as he ditched it as soon as it went silent. He feared that he and Sophie could have been tracked if someone locked into their signal. But Parker's wasn't beeping, or blinking and he desperately wanted to believe she'd simply had the same idea that he did and that nothing more sinister had happened to her. He took a deep breath but didn't bother to relate his fears to Sophie.

He clicked on the comm link and it instantly opened a dialogue box.

"Hardison?" he called loudly into the computer.

"Nate," Alec answered back, the relief palpable in his voice, "Are you okay? How's Sophie? I take it you guys made out the code?"

"Uhh, yes. Hardison, listen, Sophie and I, we're fine," Nate spoke in the rapid-fire way he did when his mind kicked into high gear. "We've seen the files. I don't know where to begin."

"Tell me about it," Alec offered ruefully, "Nate, I think they have Parker, or something. I just know something's wrong."

Nate and Sophie looked at each other, knowing fully what the other was thinking. Something wasn't right at all and they knew that Hardison would blindly risk himself for Parker if he felt he had no choice.

"Where are you, Hardison?" Sophie asked softly and the hacker felt a shot of joy.

"Hey Soph," he greeted her and she smiled shyly at the warmth in his tone, "It's good to hear your voice."

"Same here," she answered softly, her throat getting tight.

"Hardison, what's really going on here?" Nate cut into their exchange.

"As far as I've been able to make out, the short story is that Sonia's working with Hastings and some heavy hitters on securing some political power and they are using a machine called Domino to do it."

"Domino," Sophie repeated and she clicked onto the file of the same name, "what does it do?"

"I don't know," Alec responded honestly, "you can see from the file, I can't gather that much information about it because there's not much to gather. I've never seen security like this for anything. It's almost as though the thing doesn't exist. Only it clearly does."

"Yeah, I've heard about this Domino project," Nate chimed in, "It was created in the sixties, but they kept each facet of the development totally separate. Separate engineers working on separate parts at separate times. Going so far as to disband the staff each year and starting fresh just so that no one really knows what's going on in its entirety. It was part of something the government had been working on since the Space Race called the Noah project."

"How do you know this," Sophie asked impressed as always with Nate's vast knowledge.

Nate simply shrugged, "When scientists go to bars and drink too much their lips get loose just like everyone else."

"So, this is a secret government machine, huh," Alec thought out loud, "why did this have to get just that much more difficult?"

"Hardison, where are you?" Nate asked.

The hacker took a moment before he answered, "I just arrived at the hotel," he replied evenly, "I have to find her, Nate," he offered further, fully expecting Nate to try to change his mind. But if Nate had any concerns he didn't voice them.

"What do you need us to do?" the mastermind asked instead. His question caught the younger man by surprise.

"Uh, well," Alec stuttered, "I've gone over the information I left you with a fine tooth come and I still can't quite figure out the full story. Maybe you guys would have better luck."

Nate looked back to the files and then to Sophie, "Yeah we can do that. Just…be careful."

"Thanks Nate," Alec replied and almost disconnected the comm until he realized he didn't ask them if they'd heard about his major discovery earlier.

"Oh wait, Nate, I saw Eliot tonight…at least I really think it was Eliot," Alec flustered, taken aback that he'd almost forgotten to mention something so significant even sooner.

"Yes, we saw it," Nate replied and both he and Sophie nodded.

"Yeah, I saw him leaving the hotel tonight during the evacuation," Alec related excitedly, "he was as the end of the alley and I couldn't get to him in time. He didn't see me but I think…no I know it was him,"

"Okay," Nate said thoughtfully as he rubbed his fingertips over the first strains of stubble growing there. He was at a loss. Whoever was behind this whole thing knew each member of his team, studied them. No con seemed to fit. They'd be found out- or worse- immediately. It seemed fairly lucky they'd made it this far. He knew they'd have to seek out the assistance of someone no one would think of as their ally. Someone with the kind of pull to get them the answers they need, someone who owed them a favor.

"I have an idea Hardison? But it would mean than Sophie and I would be off comms for a little while." Nate said, looking at Sophie reassuringly.

Alec sighed, "Good luck," the two little words carried infinite weight.

"Good luck to you too," Nate responded hoping his face didn't betray the worry he felt.

"Be careful, Hardison," Sophie injected, trying desperately to keep her voice even, "get her back."

Nate and Sophie watched as Alec nodded and reached out to turn off the tiny dashboard monitor he'd been talking into.

His screen went black and he was gone.

Sophie sighed heavily and turned to Nate, "Do you think he'll be okay?"

Nate nodded his head quickly, "Hardison's a lot stronger than even he thinks; he'll be fine. In the meanwhile the best way we can help him is to get some answers, and try to find Eliot."

Sophie nodded slowly and tried to think positively even as the doubts began crowding her mind. She looked at all of the files that pertained to the situation they found themselves embroiled in and shook her head.

"My goodness, this is all a mess isn't it?" she exhaled, "And who is this De Castro woman?"

Nate looked at her quizzically, "Sonia, Sylvia, Carmen…"

Sophie shook her head with the mention of each name and Nate's curiosity grew. He scrolled her bio file for a photo convinced that the woman presented herself to Sophie under a different alias.

When Sophie shook her head to indicate she didn't recognize the woman Nate was floored.

"She ingratiated herself into all of our lives, presenting herself as someone else. She was the one who kept me in Ireland by promising to keep you safe. She fooled Hardison into thinking she was his only friend when he was in the hospital and she was the one who'd changed Parker. How is it that she didn't work her way into your life?"

Nate's brain was furiously trying to work the angle as was Sophie's.

"My handler was a business man named Nicaro Caesar," she offered hopeful that the name would ring a bell for Nate, "I worked for him for nearly two years."

The name was unfamiliar but the statement caught his attention, "Two years? Where did they have you before?"

Sophie's mind travelled back to the hell on earth she endured in the months leading up to her high-class serfdom with Nicaro. She vowed she wouldn't burden Nate with what she went through during that time.

She smiled and touched his face, "Just a little bit more of the same."

His eyebrows furrowed immediately and she reached for the hand on his face, "I know that tone Sophie, don't try to con me." His voice was soft but it was firm and she knew he could detect the smallest iota of untruth in her. It was the blessing and the curse of their partnership.

"Nate, please," she implored sincerely, "there are much more important things at hand. Could we please just leave this one thing unexplored?"

He studied her for a moment before he nodded his head in agreement and his face relaxed, "…for now."

He reached for her face and leaned into her, kissing her softly.

The past three years for him were a blur of trying to ensure her safety. He could only imagine what she must have been going through.

There'd be time for that discussion, he promised himself as they ended their kiss.

Right now they had work to do and seemingly little time to do it.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

The lobby was surprisingly easy to infiltrate.

Alec thought he would have been tackled to the ground as soon as he stepped through the glass doors but his entry didn't go quite as he'd expected- as had been the pattern lately.

He knew in his gut that at the very least he was going to encounter some trouble, and at the most he was walking into his end but he remembered what the past three years had been like without Parker and he wouldn't go back. Regardless of what the hair on the back of his neck was telling him.

This was how it was supposed to be, all or nothing. Parker… or nothing.

His thoughts drifted back to his time alone and his initial decision to break into Hasting's Institute. He couldn't imagine what he was thinking he would do with the photograph he initially set out to steal.

He'd been blinded by a savage need for revenge and anger and sadness and loneliness and every other adjective that described how utterly naïve he was to think he could bring down something so intricate and powerful on his own.

He functioned better in a team. He knew he was good but the balance the others provided allowed him to be great. He was a better person when his purpose wasn't self-serving. He was better with people whose strengths matched his own; strengths that were so different that their individual deficiencies just didn't matter when they were aligned.

And he was his best when he was with her.

He should never have agreed to any plan that involved her entering the hotel without him at her side, but the past didn't matter anymore. He was there and he was willing to do whatever it took to find Parker again.

The elevator glided to a slow stop as it reached the top floor of the hotel. The soft chime that announced his destination sounded ominously loud to Alec's ears.

He stared out of the open doors and straight ahead, down the brightly lit hallway. There was no movement- even the air seemed frozen somehow, and his senses stood at full alert.

He took a deep breath and stepped out. He wasn't armed and he had no plan beyond finding Parker or Sonia, whichever came first. But he was calm and in control; buoyed by the confidence that the universe wouldn't let him loose her twice.

His breathing quickened suddenly and he could feel his heart pounding a punishing drum beat against his breast bone.

Adrenaline, perhaps.

He clenched his teeth and sealed his lips to keep the rushing breath from coming out in loud panting bursts. The closer he got to the double door at the edge of the hallway the colder he felt. His heart was racing in his chest as though it would jump out and run on ahead of him. He noticed that his fingertips were cold and numb as were his toes, and his head was beginning to feel heavy.

The door went out of focus and Alec stopped. He shook his head and blinked and the door was solid once again. He swayed and his head drooped as though it was the heaviest thing on his body. He couldn't keep himself standing upright and his limbs fluctuated between feeling extremely heavy and extremely light.

_Someone drugged him,_ he rationalized quickly. _But how?_

He fell to his knees and his head sought refuge on the beige carpet that lined the hallway floor. He couldn't move even if he wanted to. He realized his heart had slowed and he was rendered barely conscious.

This feeling was familiar.

The cold numbness. The lack of control. He was dying- again.

"I can stop this, Alec," the softly spoken words hovered above him.

In some distant corner of his mind he recognized Sonia's voice and the stubborn rage he felt toward her churned in his stomach.

He tried to urge his body to turn, to face her and fight but he no longer had any say.

"Take him into the room," she called to someone close by and Alec felt himself being hoisted off of the carpet immediately. The side of his face brushed roughly against the wooly beads of the knitted floor.

He was deposited into a chair and the realization hit him that the feeling was returning to his arms and legs. His heart rate was also returning to normal but his mind was still cloudy.

"Do you feel better?"

He recognized Sonia's chillingly even tone through his haze and it made his stiffen.

"Please be calm, Alec. I really have no desire to hurt you…," she offered further.

"Where's Parker?" he bit back, cutting her off. His anger spurred him on, gave him strength.

"You can see her soon," she began, "just as soon as you and I come to an understanding."

He could see her outline across the room, but his eyes still couldn't focus.

"What did you do to me?" Alec asked as he shook his head to clear it.

Sonia's silence unnerved him but Alec wouldn't let his thoughts wander too far or speculate too long. He had a mission and nothing would sway him from it.

"Where's Parker?" he asked louder.

Sonia straightened and walked toward him and he pressed his feet firmer against the floor in preparation for her anticipated attack.

But she didn't attack him.

She stopped short and flipped a switch which made the wall behind her transparent.

The sight made Alec's chest seize.

Beyond the wall was a small room and in the room, Parker was lying unconscious on a table, a black, swollen ring around her eye; scratches and bruises on her face and hands.

Alec flew out of the chair and grabbed Sonia's neck lifting her off of the ground and over to the transparent wall as easy as he would a wet towel. Her eyes bulged and her mouth opened in a silent gasping scream but a searing pain ripped through Alec's chest and made him drop her before he could act on the murderous rage that instantaneously consumed him.

He fell onto his back and clutched his chest as the pain paralyzed him.

"Don't…" Sonia sputtered as she clutched her throat and gasped for air, "…you ever touch me… again…or I will…kill you."

It was the first raw, truthful emotion Alec had witnessed from her.

The strangle hold on his chest eased and Alec took a slow, deep breath but he couldn't open his eyes. Opened or closed, all he saw was Parker lying there bloody and bruised and the anguish was worse than any physical ache that could have been inflicted upon him.

"You might as well kill me now," Alec said as he exhaled his deep breath, "because as soon as I get up I'm going to grab your neck again for what you did to her."

"You can save your own life- and hers- if you just do as I say," Sonia answered back, still massaging her neck.

_Parker was alive._

Alec's eyes flew open.

"She's alive?" he asked softly, the hot rage he felt earlier gone with the choking relief that flooded him.

"She is alive," Sonia answered, "and she can remain alive if you do as I say."

Alec rolled onto his knees and pushed himself up off the ground as Sonia took a half step back cautiously.

"What do you want?" he asked her darkly but his eyes stayed on Parker's lifeless body on the table.

"First let me tell you the stakes," Sonia announced and Alec's focus fell on her once again.

"There is a small device at the base of Parker's skull," she continued, "with it I've been able to make her fearless, loyal, supremely intelligent…and able to withstand physical pain."

Alec was floored. He thought back to how Parker fought and behaved. Someone who didn't feel pain, who was relentless in their goals. The ultimate weapon. Sonia made Parker into an android.

Nausea roiled his stomach. He'd never hated another person before but the feeling he had for Sonia had to come close.

"It took us a full year to get her to the level of perfection she had reached…," she added but Alec had to look away; his head was swimming.

"…but within the matter of a few days you've managed to destroy everything we've worked toward," Sonia concluded.

Alec looked at her curiously, "What do you mean?"

Sonia sighed.

"Being with you deprogrammed her somehow," she relinquished the news grudgingly.

Alec turned to once again look at Parker's unconscious body. He walked to the glass.

"However," Sonia called, "the device is still capable of causing Parker extensive damage- fatal damage- should it be instructed to…explode, per say."

Alec turned to once again rip Sonia in half but he noticed her right fist clenched slightly and the phantom pain in his chest recalled the memory of what she was capable of.

Whatever she was doing to him was controlled from that hand. There was no way he could grab her before she could administer another paralyzing dose.

He sighed dejectedly, "What do you want?"

"I want Domino," she answered finally.

Alec couldn't believe his ears or the implication of what it meant, "What?"

Sonia ignored his question, "The mechanism itself was easy enough to duplicate. The only thing I don't have is the program that enables the machine. And that is what you and Parker will secure for me in exchange for your lives."

Alec's eyes narrowed as he looked at her, "Are you crazy? Do you even know what that machine is capable of?"

"That machine is capable of far more than even you may know, but its capabilities are of no consequence to you. All you need to know is that you have one day to secure the program and make it compatible to the machine my engineers have built or you and Parker will meet your untimely and very messy ends."

With that, Sonia took three back-steps out of the room and locked the door behind her.

She was barely gone before Alec flung open the door to the tiny room in which Parker was being held.

He rushed in but stopped as he stood over her, unsure of how or if to touch her.

He smoothed some hair from her forehead and his gentle touch stirred her to move.

A soft groan rumbled deep in her chest and Alec's eyes grew wide.

"Parker?" he called her name tentatively.

Another soft groan and her eyes moved beneath their closed lids but there was no other acknowledgement.

He bent low and kissed her cheek.

"Hey girl," he whispered close to her ear, "I thought I lost you again.

"You have to stop doing that," he smiled and leaned in to touch his forehead to hers, "you really gotta cut that out."

He could barely speak against the tightness in his throat.

But he realized that that was just one of his many problems.

Parker looked in no state to move far less steal something as heavily guarded as the Domino program.

He wondered how bad the damage had been and how was it that Sonia's programming failed so soundly.

"Are we dead?"

The hoarse whisper brought him to attention.

He raised his head and his eyes met hers. Through all the bruises he could still see that her expression was different, she was different.

He took a small step back and looked at her.

"Parker?"

This was his Parker. Not the other who could ignore weakness and basic human frailties like physical pain.

She didn't answer but a small tear rolled down the side of her face.

"She told me she was going to kill you," her small voice cut straight through him.

"She didn't kill me," he stepped closer to her again and reached for her hand, "I'm here, see? I'm flesh and blood. Right here with you."

She exhaled a soft rush of air and squeezed his hand, her non swollen eye growing wide.

"You were dead and then we were together and then I was here and a woman told me she was going to kill you," she spoke softly, quickly.

He could hear the confusion in her voice.

"Parker, I didn't die; and up to a few hours ago we were together. Someone's been playing us all along."

Her eyes narrowed warily.

"Do you remember us going to Ireland; finding Nate…Sophie?" he asked hopefully.

She shook her head no.

He could see that this was all becoming overwhelming.

_Dammit. Not good. She was starting from base again. DAMMIT!_

"Parker, I can't explain it all to you right now but I need you to trust me okay."

Parker nodded without hesitation.

His throat tightened again. If this was the last time he saw her this way he wanted her to know, to remember how he felt.

"I love you," he announced softly, and just as her eyes registered the words and her face softened into a reaction, he spoke again, "Sono."

Her eyes went blank immediately and Parker fell asleep.

He kissed her forehead and hoped they'd have time for him to explain it all.

Alec hated using Sonia's method but he couldn't think of another way to accomplish what they were tasked with when Parker's mind was still rooted in the events of that night three years ago. It would be too much for her to process. They didn't have the time.

"Aumento," he instructed and her lashes fluttered instantly.

She didn't move immediately and he grew anxious.

"Parker?" he called hesitantly.

She sat up quickly and turned to face him none of the previous softness or light still on her face.

"Sonia is going to kill you," she announced matter-of-factly.

He took solace in the familiarity of New Parker candor.

"So I've been told," he answered flippantly and she turned to look at him.

"Do you understand what's going on here, Alec?" She asked him as she eased herself off of the table and grimaced slightly.

"I understand that she wants us to steal the Domino program and sync it to her copy." He didn't tell her the threat Sonia made for their compliance.

"Alec," Parker walked closer to him, clearly limping and favoring her left arm. She reached out and put her hand on his chest, "Three years ago Sonia implanted a chip into your chest that can keep your heart beating or make it stop. If we don't give her what she wants she's going to kill you."

He stared at her, lost in the words she was saying.

He knew Sonia threatened to kill him but the certainty of his life ending took on new resonance somehow.

He felt his heart beating steadily in his ears; every new thump suddenly more precious than the one before.


	25. Chapter 25

**Thank you so much for the reviews, the favorites, the alerts, and the nomination (that was such a happy surprise). **

**I'm very sorry for the delay- sometimes the right words just refuse to come. **

**Thank you so much idiot9and602, Koxie, and Zee Zee Magee for the wonderful boost- I hope you enjoy the next few pages. **

**Happy reading!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 25<p>

"Bloody hell," the crisp English accent bellowed from behind the firmly closed old Irish-oak door. "Is this a blooming Partridge family reunion or Night of the living dead?"

It was the very last place Nate wanted to be, but that was the point- it was the last place anyone would suspect they would seek refuge.

"Hello to you too, Sterling. Now open the damned door," Nate hissed against the solid wood. He looked over his shoulder, past Sophie for any sign that they were being observed by people in the street.

The big, heavy door creaked open and James Sterling eyed the two shadowy figures lurking on his doorstep.

"I can say that I'm surprised," Sterling ground out as he leered at them with one cocked eyebrow, "but since my earlier guest arrived I'm fresh out of that emotion."

Nate squinted at his one-time colleague, "What are you ta…" but he didn't finish his question.

"Nate…"

The darkened figure stood in solid battle stance a few feet behind Sterling; the compact muscular frame and long thick hair a dead giveaway- but it was the voice that sealed it. Nate would recognize that husky Southern American brogue anywhere.

"Eliot?" Both Nate and Sophie said in unison.

Sterling rolled his eyes dramatically and angled himself so their view of the hitter was unobstructed.

Eliot stared at them both, each shocked into silence. His eyes flitted from Nate's face to Sophie's and back before he and Nate walked to each other and embraced firmly, no words passing between them.

Eliot released Nate and reached for Sophie just as eagerly.

Nate's stutter broke the heavy silence, "Hardison told us he saw…"

"Hardison…?" Eliot mumbled, stunned. He broke out of his embrace with Sophie and automatically looked out the front door, scanning the darkness for his friend. The evening was one of surprises and he half expected his buddy to walk in behind Nate and Sophie with one of his patented, lop-sided geek grins. But there was no grin and no Hardison and a small part of Eliot clenched.

Disappointed eyes quickly found Nate's before they turned murky with speculation. Nate knew instantly where the hitter's thoughts had gone.

"No," Nate offered swiftly, "Hardison's fine, well he was fine when we spoke with him a few hours ago."

Eliot's eyes softened and his shoulders relaxed by a fraction but his chest was still high, awaiting the 'but' that was sure to explain the hacker's absence.

"…He's rescuing Parker," Nate concluded and Eliot's eyes grew wide once again.

"Parker?" the hitter whispered.

He raked his hands quickly through his hair and stepped away from the group, moving further into the house before he turned on his heels and faced them again.

"Nate man, what the hell?" was all he could manage to bite out.

Eliot was working hard to process but he was in desperate need of some blanks being filled. The past three years of his life suddenly took on an even more sinister shade.

_They were alive. They were all alive. And he was sitting in a jail cell losing his mind. _

He wanted to crush something…or someone.

Nate took a small step toward him and stopped, "Do you know a woman by the name of Sonia…or Sylvia… or Demara?" he began and Eliot squinted in silent deliberation before deciding he was not familiar.

"…well Sonia is, or has been, for the past three years or so trying to destroy us," Nate concluded.

Eliot's brows rose menacingly.

"That's a bit melodramatic" a nearly forgotten Sterling chimed, drawing three leering glances his way.

"You've been remarkably calm in light of recent developments, Sterling?" Sophie cooed, smiling with seductive malice and surveying their unwilling host with new interest.

"And why shouldn't I be calm; three notorious criminals barge into my private residence demanding shelter and assistance," Sterling's cold, lazy stare assessed them all, "I think given the situation in which I currently find myself if I were any more calm I'd be in a coma.

"…Besides, it is a well-known fact that I detest the lot of you… that and she isn't after me," he smirked smugly before he put his sturdy whisky glass to his head to take a drink.

Nate's eyes narrowed as clarity set in. He scrutinized Sterling's nonchalance.

"This isn't a surprise," Nate began slowly, "you're calm because…"

"You knew," Sophie finished Nate's supposition. Her tone scandalized, her eyes wide, accusatory, "…you've known all this time."

Sterling's slow sip of his whisky offered nothing in the way of defense. Instead his leaned back head and closed eyes mocked them as they waited for either an admission or a denial.

The graveled growl that emanated from Eliot's throat as well as the hitter's approaching shadow reanimated Sterling. A choking cough propelled his head forward and he deftly sidestepped the Hitter's grasp.

"Okay, call off the dogs," he sputtered haughtily.

"I knew it," Sophie called, "you little…"

"There are no coincidences ," Nate interrupted, "I should have known you would be involved. She knew our weaknesses, our vulnerabilities."

"That's low Sterling, even for you," Eliot snarled and he stepped toward the conniving Englishman but Nate's gentle yet firm touch on his shoulder stalled his assault.

"Before you kill him, Eliot…" Nate turned from the Hitter's focused glare to Sterling's cagey one, "what is this all about? Who is this woman and why is she so hell bent on destroying us?"

Sterling stole a quick incredulous glance at Nate before returning his attention to Eliot unwilling to let the deadly soldier catch him off guard, "You can't possibly be so arrogant," he spat at Nate, "so self-righteous, so…daft!" It was all he offered in the way of an explanation.

Nate sighed and removed his hand from Eliot's shoulder, "Have at it my friend."

It was all Eliot needed; his closed fist connected with Sterling's nose before the man could think about getting out of the way.

"aaaaaAAAAAAWWWWWW…." Sterling bellowed as he dropped the whiskey glass and cupped his face in his hands, "I…wasn't…finished…you barbarian."

"I've had just about enough of you and the name callin' bubba," Eliot's low voice sounding even more menacing as he approached Sterling again.

"Look Sterling, we don't have time for this," Nate announced, once again halting Eliot's advance, "this woman is using my team to steal some kind of doom's day device and I need to know who she is and what she's about if we have any hope of stopping her and saving ourselves."

Sterling's watery eyes found Nate's, "She's found it, hasn't she?" His voice was low, the tone one of reverence.

"Do you know what she's after?" Nate repeated, seeing that his words had finally gotten past Sterling's supposed desire to be as unhelpful as possible.

Sterling straightened up and pinched the bridge of his bloodied nose, "Don't you ever wonder about all of the people you destroy, Nate? Did you think they were all islands unto themselves? Didn't you ever think that someday, someone was going to want to pay you back for all of the chaos and harm you've brought into their lives…or the lives of their loved ones?"

He stopped and looked meaningfully at Nate.

Nate returned Sterling's stare unflinchingly. He was unwilling to believe that this was all simply a case of revenge.

"No Sterling. You're not going to turn this into some kind of slap on the hand 'this is what we deserve' nonsense," Nate was resolute, "I know you don't care too much for us, but if the information Hardison found is correct, this woman could be putting millions of lives in danger and we need to know why."

Sterling shifted his weight and Nate could tell they'd reached their impasse- Sterling was either going to help them now or he would turn them away empty handed.

Just as Sterling swallowed and opened his mouth to speak a long, lean shadow fell between Sophie and Nate as they stood facing him. His eyes followed the figure to its source, backlit by the soft light spilling into the foyer from the high ceiling above the stairs.

"Cap'in," Joshua's soft call and tear streaked face jarred them all.

Eliot was at the boy's side in an instant and he scooped him into his arms tightly, "Sorry Buddy. You finally woke up huh?" The boy's tiny hands clung desperately to Eliot's shoulders. "Man, you're shaking like a leaf. Did you have a bad dream?" he asked the boy softly as the others looked on and Joshua burrowed his face even deeper into the crook of Eliot's neck.

"I'm going to go and get him some water and settle him down," Eliot alerted them quietly before turning to Sterling, his lip thinning and his eyebrows rising with inferred meaning, "I hope I don't have to remind you what's at stake."

Eliot retreated to the back room where Joshua had been asleep and Sterling bent to collect his whiskey glass.

"Would it be indelicate of me to ask if you remember that feeling Nate," Sterling started, Nate's warning eyes not slowing him in the least, "because _that's_ what this is all about."

Sterling turned on his heel and ambled further into the house making a beeline straight for the whisky decanter.

Nate followed him with his eyes, trying hard to piece together everything that Sterling had said.

It was a few moments before he realized Sophie hadn't spoken or moved from her spot behind him in some time and he turned to find her frozen staring blankly at the empty space where Eliot and Joshua were standing.

Her eyes were glazed and she was clutching her stomach and her mouth firmly.

"Sophie," Nate called her softly, not wanting to startle her out of whatever faraway thought she'd lost herself to.

She blinked at the sound of his voice and when she focused once again her eyes were locked on his. He touched the hand that held her mouth and offered her a gentle smile even though his eyes were heavy with concern.

"Where'd you go," he asked her lightly.

She returned his small smile and swallowed slowly, lowered her eyes from his before she answered, "Nowhere, I just…nowhere."

"Are you okay," he prodded further.

She lifted her eyes to his once more in defiance of the turmoil raging inside of her, "I'm fine," she smiled wider. "Just strange seeing Eliot again, and then seeing Eliot with a child," she made a comical frightened face before her soft smile returned and Nate's smile spread a little wider as well.

He cupped her cheek and she leaned into his touch grateful that he seemed momentarily appeased.

"Come on, let's go squeeze some more information out of James," Nate offered Sophie with a quick jut of his chin in Sterling's direction and a small, playful smile, "then we go steal our salvation."

Sophie couldn't help but smile at his oft-used inflection that they go steal someting. It had been too long since she'd heard it. The words washed over her and touched something old and familiar. Even though the night had given her more than she dared to dream about in the past three years, the anxious twisting of her stomach told her the peace and happiness she'd long coveted wouldn't be easily won.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Alec watched her closely, looking for the slightest grimace, any twitch, frown, anything to signal that she was in physical or mental pain. He was looking for any sign that she was different. But she was the same Parker he'd grown accustomed to- scarily efficient and unwavering in her determination to get the job done.

They'd flown half a day's journey to a place that didn't appear on any conventional map Alec had ever seen and were literally dropped off at the coastline of a sparsely populated island to a waiting boat and instructions to follow the pre-recorded GPS coordinates. Their destination was an uninhabited island from which they were to don the assembled diving gear and swim to their target location, Domino Island.

"This is crazy," Alec mumbled softly to himself as they anchored the small boat and prepared to wade their way into shore. He was second guessing himself again for coming on this wild goose-chase.

"It's not crazy," Parker contradicted, as she eased herself into the thigh deep water, holding her small supply bag over her head, "it's the way she works."

Alec didn't realize he'd spoken out loud but he turned to Parker and sighed as he made his way to the edge of the boat and prepared to jump, his annoyance at their predicament rising with each passing moment.

"We could have stayed in civilization and found a way to get ourselves out of this," he countered and slid off of the boat's side and into the surprisingly cold water. He bit his lips and said a silent oath as the unpleasantly frigid liquid chilled him to the bone in seconds.

"How do we even know she isn't just going to kill us if we give her what she wants anyway," he called to the back of Parker's head.

She answered without missing a beat, "we don't. But we couldn't sit there and know for sure she would have if we didn't do as she said."

Parker asked herself the same question- only earlier. Even as Sonia's henchmen thrust the instructions at them back in London and drove them to the airport, without so much as a chance to devise a plan, she wondered if they stood a fighting chance. Then she realized they were pelted onto the private plane with no guards, no further communication besides their small instruction booklet and no assurances from the duo that they were going to follow the plan set before them. It dawned on her then that that level of trust came with a certain amount of leverage. Sonia didn't need to accompany them or even offer any other ultimatums. All she had to do was sit back and wait for a reasonable amount of time to collect her quarry and if she did not get it she could end Alec's life with the click of a button. Come hell or high water, Parker decided that she would not sit idly by and watch him die.

She knew he'd been watching her. She could sense his eyes assessing every move she made, looking for something changed about her. But she couldn't let him know that she remembered- well, remembered some of it anyway. She remembered the first time they met- atop that building doing the Dubenich job, and she remembered bits and pieces of him, old memories, flashes of things that wisped around her consciousness like different scenes from a million movies. What stood out most to her though, was him; How kind he was, how caring. She could sense his compassion and she felt that when he loved he did so openly and unconditionally. She remembered that she gravitated toward him because his ability to look beyond people's faults was something so unlike anything she'd ever known or experienced.

She couldn't tell him though- not yet. Not when she didn't quite know what it all meant and not when they needed to focus on the task at hand. Certainly not when it could all be taken away.

Her thoughts were far as she sloshed through the last bit of surf and walked straight toward a sun bleached tree to deposit her bag. It wasn't until she felt Alec grab her from behind and pull her deeper into the thick tree cover that her focus on the present returned.

His arm held her firmly, pressing the length of her back against the hard expanse of his chest.

"Company," he whispered into her ear and she tensed instantly. She inched her head to meet his eyes so she could look where he indicated and sure enough there was another boat moored against some rocks further along the beach.

He scanned the bruises that still peppered her face. He hadn't been that close to her since he'd kissed her as she lay on the table, and as he saw the welts and discolored flesh around her eyes and cheeks he forgot for a tiny moment where they were. All he wanted to do was wrap her in his arms and make the rest of the world disappear. He couldn't stand the thought of her having to confront anyone else- and he really couldn't stomach her feeling any more pain.

"I'm going to check it out," he whispered firmly before she could assume the task upon herself. He tore away from her instantly and moved deeper into the forest that lined the beach, using the trees for cover.

Parker knew his intention immediately and froze for a moment before deciding that they should always operate as a team. She moved stealthily behind him alerting him only when he'd reached within easy throwing distance of the seemingly abandoned vessel.

He opened his eyes widely upon seeing her, his expression one of admonishment but she ignored him and looked at the heat scanner in his hand.

Alec's shoulders slumped as he sighed futilely at his attempt to scold was disregarded. He lifted the scanner and waved the palm-sized device in a wide sweep from left to right. He was looking for a tell-tale red color to flare indicating where their company was keeping watch but nothing red indicated on the sensor besides his body heat and Parker's. Alec waved the machine twice more before he decided that its reading was accurate and they were indeed alone.

"There doesn't seem to be anything or anyone else here," he spoke in a regular volume and Parker's body relaxed marginally.

"I'm going to have a look at the boat," she announced even as she was already bouncing away from him.

He pocketed his heat seeker and followed close behind, confident that no one was going to jump out and surprise them.

It was only when pulling the boat free from its wedged anchor between the large, sharp rocks that Parker grimaced for the first time for the day and Alec was quick to rush to her aide.

"What…what is it?" he asked in a small panic, his eyes running quickly up and down her body searching for the offending injury.

She squinted and hissed her release as she held her right rib area.

"That's new," she breathed as she stepped down from the rocks, leaning against Alec's strength as she did.

"I think this is all a part of Sonia's _whoo doo_ wearing off," he assured her as he easily lifted her off of the rocks and onto the shifting sand beneath.

Parker looked up at him curiously.

He shook his head when he realized that he'd spoken out loud.

_Dammit Hardison_, he chided himself, _we really don't need to talk about this now. _

"I just mean that, uh, you're becoming a bit more…you," he explained, hoping desperately she would let the issue rest.

Parker stared at him for a moment and decided it wasn't the right time or place for force further clarification out of him. She gave him a curt nod of her head and thinned her lip in acquiescence before turning her attention back to the boat.

Alec knew new Parker wasn't supposed to feel pain and while a small part of him relished the small revelation, a larger part of him worried what it meant for their trip.

He followed her eyes and the unspoken shift in priority and he climbed back over to the boat.

He rocked the wood and fiberglass vessel hoping to free it loose enough to lower but it was wedged too firmly against the rocks. He decided instead to look into the boat and search for any information about who it may have belonged to.

Anchoring his foot against a rock and pulling himself over the bough he was able to catch a quick glimpse into the boat before a deep creaking sound alerted him that the boat was not as sturdy as it appeared. If he attempted to climb any further it would tear like wet toilet paper, he was sure of it.

"I can't see into the boat," he called down to Parker, "it's not safe. I think it's been here a while."

That information struck Parker as odd. The island was in the middle of nowhere, with no charms to attract an expedition and too out of the way to encourage islanders from the closest mainland to rendezvous. The only plausible reason Parker saw for anyone to visit that sandbar would be to do the same thing they were planning to do- sneak onto Domino's island.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Alec asked as he jump landed in front of her.

"That this isn't Sonia's first salvage mission…yes, I'm thinking that too," Parker assured him.

"So now for the obvious questions- where's the first crew and why didn't it work the first time?" Alec asked as he looked out toward the barely visible tip of Domino island.

"…and do we risk their fate?" Parker chimed in as she too looked toward their objective.

She silently wondered if they had a choice.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

"Alright Sterling," Nate announced firmly as he made to follow Sterling into his study, "stop talking in riddles and tell us what's going on."

Sophie knew how important Sterling's information was to their cause but knew she would be of no use to Nate; her thoughts were fully preoccupied far away from their conversation.

"Nate, I…, I'm just going to check on Eliot," she announced to Nate's back, her body already twisted in the direction that Eliot took the little boy.

Nate turned back to her, his brows tight with curiosity. "…Okay…Is everything alright, Soph?" he asked as he studied her face and walked back to her.

She held up a hand to discourage his advance, "I'm fine, really," she lowered her voice, "Please, go talk with Sterling." She looked over to Sterling conspiratorially and Nate took her action to mean she thought their host was on the verge of divulging vital information.

He nodded his head to wordlessly answer and offered her a small smile. She smiled back and they turned away from each other- he to his quarry, she to hers.

"Ok, Sterling," Nate called as he finally sidled up to Sterling's bar and eyed the assorted liquors, "what more do you know?"

Sterling held Nate's gaze for a moment before he took a deep breath and began, "Are you familiar with the Hydra of Greek mythology?"

* * *

><p><em>Sophie touched the door to the room where Eliot had taken Joshua. She let her fingers linger over the lacquered pine; her head low, her breath lodged tightly in her chest. 'Just go in,' she coaxed herself. She felt heaviness in every limb- her body's natural response to the conflict raging within. Panic began building as she wondered about the 'what ifs' that haunted her every day of the past three years. <em>

_I__t wasn't possible- she knew it but every fiber of her seemed to need confirmation, just once more. Her hand glided slowly over the smooth pine and came to rest on the handle of the door. A deep breath and a twist of her wrist…_

* * *

><p>"I'm familiar with the Greek myths, Sterling? What are you getting at?" Nate answered dryly.<p>

"…The Hydra," Sterling continued, undeterred, "is a creature of unspeakable guile and cunning and nearly invincible. For every blow deemed fatal by an enemy, it reemerges twice as strong… and twice as deadly…."

"…WHAT'S YOUR POINT, STERLING?" Nate's near bellow halted Sterling's diatribe.

"MY POINT," Sterling shot back in return before his voice evened out, "is that you've created your own worst enemy, Nathan. This woman did her research. She studied you, she studied your team. She has files on you from as far back as your first report card from the nuns and," he paused for dramatic effect, "...history on your team that even you've never read."

The announcement raised Nate's hackles.

"Is she Moreau's mother?" he asked flatly- he was tired of playing games and growing increasingly uneasy with each revelation.

"I'm not certain, actually," Sterling answered evenly and sat back to stir his drink, "but…"

Nate felt himself still as he waited for Sterling to continue.

"…I know for a fact that she's smarter, more calculated and deadlier than he ever was." Sterling offered. "And that's not even the worst part," Sterling continued and Nate swore the little jerk was relishing this little game far too much, "if her endgame is the same as I suspect the destruction of your little band of misfits lines up perfectly with what she hopes to accomplish. You made it personal when you took down Moreau, but she was hired by some very heavy hitters to make some major power plays and she needed you and the merry men to make it so. As you can imagine, she is highly motivated and not nearly as vulnerable as your past conquests."

Nate sat back in his chair and let his head roll back for just a moment. _Dammit, how the hell were they going to get out of this one?_

* * *

><p><em>The door handle gave with a light twist. <em>

_Sophie entered the room as softly as she could manage but Eliot was waiting, tense and battle ready as usual- on his knees, on the floor as if he's sprung up when he heard the door open._

_"It's just me, Eliot," Sophie announced quietly, "I just wanted to check on you both."_

_Eliot exhaled his tension and sat back on his heels._

_Her eyes travelled involuntarily to the little body curled up and asleep on the sofa._

_"Who is he?" the words tumbled out of her mouth unable to be contained._

_Eliot looked at the little boy and relaxed further- his exhaustion finally making its presence felt. He sat flat on the floor and leaned against the sofa where Joshua slept._

_"He's… my job," Eliot said with a raised brow. Sophie knew he was notoriously secretive about his other clients and she knew nothing would make him say anything more._

_Eliot tried to squelch a small yawn but Sophie caught the move and looked at him, finally noticing how heavy the hitter's eye lids drooped_

_"Eliot, you look wrecked. Get some sleep. I'll hang out here and keep an eye out in case he wakes up," she coaxed softly. Eliot looked like he was about to object when another yawn snuck up on him and Sophie sat in the chair facing him as if to offer further assurances. He nodded his thanks and eased himself flat on the hard wood in front of the sofa and fell almost instantly into a light but restful sleep._

_She couldn't look at first. She didn't allow herself the luxury, but the compulsion grew as the quiet of the room surrounded her. It wasn't possible- the small voice in the back of her thoughts purred again. It was the same voice that always snatched her back from hope, away from the small joy the lived in the possibility of another reality than the one in which she lived._

_She let herself have the moment; just one little 'what if'._

_She looked at Joshua, seeing nothing but the thick, black, unruly waves that covered the back of his small head. She took her fill of looking at him, his tiny body rising and falling as he breathed. She found it fascinating- and soon her own breathing mirrored his._

_In…out…in…out…in…_

_Pristine white hallways and dizzyingly bright overhead lights…Intense pain…a baby's muffled cry…_

_Eliot's solid grip on her shoulder shook her away from the dream and as the images faded and her consciousness grew her gaze locked with Joshua's and she stopped breathing._

_"Are you okay?" Eliot asked her, kneeling close enough for her to feel his breath on her face but she couldn't answer him. She couldn't take her eyes away from the small silver blue eyes staring intently at her from across the room. Eyes filled with so much intensity for someone so young; they held her captive._

_"Sophie," Eliot called again, "breath," he ordered and she gasped and startled out of her trance._

_Sophie stood to leave. The room was suddenly too small, too dark- but Nate's entrance impeded her escape._

_"Soph…" he called, his voice low with intimate concern. He reached out to touch her arms and steady her, "what's wrong?"_

_She looked up into his face and saw his silver blue eyes looking at her lovingly. It was her undoing. It's not possible, the small voice nagged but Sophie was too far gone. Hope had taken root. She turned back to Joshua, his little face inspecting the scene with rapt attention._

_Sophie's eyes filled instantly but they didn't release, "Nate, I…," she began softly and then turned into Nate's embrace, she had to see his face as she said it, "I think he's our son."_


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

There would be too much to chance by returning empty handed. Even if all they gleaned from the trip to Domino Island was enough information to use as a bargaining chip, they had to go for broke.

And so that was the decision that Alec and Parker made- they would carry on with their objective.

They made their way back down the beach to their supplies and as Alec readied their beacons and other devices for the dive, Parker unabashedly began stripping off her clothes to put on the wet suit. She was down to her underwear before temptation won out and Alec stole a quick glance.

But instead of the perfectly toned body he always admired, it was the sight of Parker's injuries that stole his attention. Alec saw the true extent of the damage Sonia visited upon the petite thief and a stab of white hot fury consumed him for a moment before the feeling was replaced by a deep concern and sympathy.

"What did she do to you?" he spoke his thoughts softly and compulsively reached out and gently touched one of the few bruise-free spots on Parker's torso.

She followed his eyes and his hand, but shrugged slightly in indifference.

"Actually it looks much worse than it feels. The only part that stings is right under there," she pointed to the spot on her rib that flared earlier. The damage at the spot was a tie dye pattern of black, blue, and purple and Alec was nearly certain that the rib had to have been broken if not severely bruised.

"Are you sure you can make that swim, Parker?" He asked, his hand still at her side, "I can go alone and you can stay here with the boat."

Parker looked at him and her lips curled into a small smile, "I can't let you have all the fun."

_That was a very Parker thing to say. _

Alec smiled and the butterflies in his stomach danced a little.

He nodded and stooped low to help her pull up her suit but Parker held his hands to stop him.

"Seriously," she assured him softly, "I'm fine. I can manage."

Ignoring the pressure of her hands holding his, he rose slowly, pulling the suit in place as he stood. He held the top out so she could slip her arms into place and when she looked into his eyes, the unmistakable heat she saw there made her stomach clench.

"It's my pleasure," he said when she was fully covered, his voice low and husky. He was close enough that she could feel the warmth radiating from his skin and its effect was dizzying.

He stepped around her and reached for the zipper to the wet suit as it sat at the base of her back and as he slowly guided it upward, his finger trailed along the center of her back leaving a deliciously warm and tingling sensation in its wake. Parker felt her eyes flutter closed, every dull ache and distant pain replaced by the feeling of coziness that churned from deep within her belly.

She wished they were anywhere else but on that damned island.

A few deep breaths and one cool ocean breeze later, Parker was back in her right mind and Alec was adjusting his suit. If it was possible he looked even sexier covered in the bulky second skin and Parker's lips involuntarily began to pucker.

_Get a grip_, she chided herself and forced the distracting thoughts out of her mind as she walked over to him to retrieve the devices she would carry for their dive. She snapped on the weight belt and all her other assorted accessories and turned to walk away but Alec reached out and gently held her shoulder.

"Are you sure you want to make this swim?" he asked again. She knew he was still concerned about her injuries.

Parker nodded and smiled reassuringly at him, "Where you go, I go; we're a team."

He affectionately squeezed her shoulder and smiled. "We're a little more than a team," he countered as his thoughts took him briefly back to the day she'd said the same thing to him.

The words didn't trigger any memories for Parker but she smiled at his sentiment. She touched his hand which was on her shoulder, "We should get to it, it's already afternoon."

He nodded his reply and they both waded into the chilly water. They stopped before the water became too deep to do a quick test of each of their tools in the water before they went too far out and when they determined that as systems were operational they adjusted their hoods and snorkels and dove in.

The clean, blue-green depths of the sea welcomed them and the nearly forty minute swim elapsed quickly as they noted the colorful array of aquatic life around them.

Alec's sensors didn't detect any trouble and Parker's electronic mapper showed the formation of the land ahead and beneath them. They knew from Sonia's notes that their objective was located in a large underwater structure at the base of Domino Island and their only way in was through the large turbine fan tunnels that filtered air and water between the station and its underwater domain.

Parker's sensors alerted her to the large hole carved into the rock ahead and she signaled to Alec that they should investigate.

The neatly carved hollow was indeed the entrance they were searching for but before they even attempted to make their way in, the large metal blades of the turbine began to turn.

They quickly swam out of the suction stream and waited for the blades to stop. Alec timed the rotation at two minutes before it slowed to a halt but he was hesitant to enter the hole until they knew the timing of the blades' scheduled rotation.

Parker motioned for them to continue but he shook his head no. Then she showed him the near empty gauge indicator of her oxygen level and his eyes grew wide. If they didn't get to fresh air soon Parker would suffocate.

She swam off toward the hole and Alec was right at her feet; His concerns about the blades' schedule instantly forgotten.

There was an eerie stillness that settled over them as they swam into the hollow- the deep blackness punctuated only by the thin beams of their flashlights. It wasn't until they caught sight of the menacingly large metal blades in front of them that Parker seemed to falter. She threaded water as she considered the turbine with its seven blades each the length of a jumbo jet wing but Alec reached for her hand as he neared her and nodded toward the beast confidently. Parker's hesitation melted and she continued her swim toward the metal beast.

And not a moment too soon- the gauge on her oxygen level began flashing red. Parker was out of air.

The closer they got to the blades they were able to see that the blades were spaces so wide that they could swim through with very little effort.

Parker eased herself to the farthest edge of the blades where it was at its thinnest and the space was wide and climbed through. Alec followed with very little difficulty.

But a chill ran up Parker's spine as she saw another massive turbine a few feet ahead. This bit of news wasn't in Sonia's instructions and on her depleted air supply and the growing ache in her side a quick flash of panic set in.

It was Alec's sudden presence at her side that snapped her out of her trance. He faced her and forced her to look into his eyes and then he peeled back the mouth piece of his hood as he removed hers to offer her air from his tank.

The oxygen was like a strengthening elixir. It cleared her head and steadied her and as she looked at Alec once more he winked and her resolve was reaffirmed.

Parker squeezed Alec's hand and swam off toward the second turbine's edge ready to repeat the actions that got her through the first.

As she reached the turbine, Alec's hand at her shoulder made her pause and turn, and he thrust the air tube into her mouth. She pulled the refreshing oxygen into her lungs and nodded her thanks before she pushed herself through the second turbine's blades with Alec quick on her heels.

A sickening clench seized Parker's stomach as there was yet another turbine ahead of them, but she didn't stop again. She plowed straight toward the turbine, determined to make it through.

As she reached out to grab hold of one of the blades to pull herself through, the fan began its slow turn and Parker pushed away in alarm.

She and Alec were caught between the two fans with nowhere to hide, a dwindling air supply, and certain death at either end.


	29. Chapter 29

_**It's been a long few months- involving international relocation, a whirlwind of distraction, and staggering writer's block. For those of you who faithfully checked for updates, I sincerely apologize for the long delay. Zee-Zee Magee, Chiguy, Forgot Login, thank you for the encouragement. Zee Zee and Chiguy, I actually find myself looking forward to seeing how you like the updates**__** To everyone else who added the story to their Alerts- thank you, thank you, thank you! Having someone to write for, someone who actually wants to read what you have to say is major. **_

_**I really hope you enjoy. Please read and review.**_

* * *

><p>Chapter 29<p>

"_Our son."_

The words repeated themselves in Nate's head over and over again but all he offered Sophie's expectant stare was a blank, slack jawed expression.

"What?!" It was Elliot who spoke first. His impatient growl tempered only by the conviction on Sophie's face as she turned to him.

Then her gaze fell to Joshua's appraising eyes and she walked over to him and knelt beside the couch, bending low so that their faces were level.

_He was her son. _

As she stared into his crystal blue eyes a wash of certainty settled over her. She'd never been as sure of anything in all her life.

She wanted to cry, shout, laugh, pick him up and spin him around and never let him go, but the weight of the moment leaded her. Her hands were pinned to the ground and her mouth had gone as dry as the Sahara. All she could do was look at him.

And he stared back, surveying the strange creature in front of him with a mixture of curiosity and wariness.

"Sophie…" Elliot called quietly, breaking into their exchange, "what are you talking about?"

Sophie took a slow, shaky breath but her eyes never left Joshua's.

She began to speak as the old air left her lungs.

"Three years ago… after I'd been…held, I was taken to a place in Europe. I didn't know exactly where or why and I couldn't figure a way out. The people who held me were not cruel to me; I was fed and allowed basic amenities but no one would talk to me…"

Sophie's voice was so soft and even, she could have been telling Joshua a bed time story. Nate moved closer to her and stood behind. Elliot merely listened intently, his own memory of that night and the time after it flashing intermittently into his memory.

Sophie continued, "…I was there for about two months before I became very ill. I lost weight, I had no appetite, I couldn't keep anything down. I thought at first that they'd poisoned me and I was just waiting to die."

She sighed and stopped and for just a moment her eyes left Joshua's and fell to the floor.

Nate reached out and touched her shoulder, his presence and acknowledgement encouraging her to continue.

"…I was horribly ill for a few more weeks before I stopped thinking I was being poisoned and started thinking about other possible reasons I'd been ill. I was so turned around it didn't once occur to me that I may have been pregnant. It felt like the most unlikely outcome so I ignored it until my stomach actually started growing."

Sophie's eyes once again found Joshua's.

"I felt the baby move," she whispered more to herself than to the others, "and I decided then and there I was going to fight and live. That my baby would live. I would do _whatever_ it took to ensure our safety."

She stopped speaking and her gaze once again saw without seeing. They glazed with her unblinking stare as the past played in her mind like a movie.

"I became very chatty with the person who left my food every day. They never talked back but I could sense that they were warming up to me. It took about a month before I felt I'd built enough trust that I could ask to meet with whoever was in charge, and about another week before I was actually given an audience with a man who did little more than stare at me for another two weeks before he finally told me why I was being held."

Sophie blinked out of her memory and looked behind her to Nate and then over to Eliot; and they both stared back hinged on her retelling of her portion of their shared fate three years ago.

"He showed me a file. They had everything. They knew…_everything_," she said, her words coming out in a hushed and urgent gust.

"He knew more about me than I'd even remembered. And he had large files on the rest of you but he'd stamped DECEASED on all of their covers," she paused and swallowed thickly at the memory.

"I asked him what he wanted and he told me that he would require my 'special services' from time to time."

Nate's jaw clenched and he bit back an oath. Sophie felt his fingers get rigid on her shoulder and she reached up to soothe him.

"It wasn't like _that_. He wanted a grifter; one who could move in very exclusive circles. I told him I didn't grift anymore, that I'd retired and I only helped people. He told me that he would very willingly hand my file over to every European law enforcement agency and watch them scramble over me while my child bounced around in the social services."

Her eyes once again found Joshua's and her hand rose to touch his.

"He knew that I was pregnant. I don't know how, but he always seemed to be one step ahead. I didn't think twice. I thought I'd lost you all; my baby was all I had left. I agreed to do whatever he asked."

"So what happened?" Eliot questioned, the concern clearly etched on his face.

"After I agreed and I began playing along, it all became very civilized. I was given a beautiful suite, an assistant, wonderful clothes, and most importantly the best medical care. I was miserable. But I focused on the baby and everything went as it should until the day I went into labor."

The tears she'd earlier denied ran freely down her face.

"Nothing felt out of the ordinary. I had pains but it felt as though they were to be expected. It wasn't until I'd been given the epidural that things seemed to go horribly wrong."

_The flashing images of the white walls revisited._

"…my vision became blurred, in and out…."

_The phantom screaming echoed in her ears alone._

"…I could feel pain but it felt so far away…"

_Hazy figures moving all around her, talking around her, not at her, uttering words she couldn't quite hear or understand._

"…and then I heard one small cry…and then nothing."

A soft sob hick-upped from Sophie's lips and Nate sat beside her and turned her face to his.

"Sophie," he started, easing the word past the lump in his own throat, "I'm so sorry you had to go through that alone."

Sophie looked into Nate's eyes and saw the pain there. She wondered if her story reminded him at all of the tragedy of his first son's passing.

"You don't have to be sorry, Nate," she whispered as she touched his face, "we found him."

Nate looked at the little boy for a moment and then turned away as if the act had caused him physical pain.

"Sophie, I don't think we should…" he began.

"Nate, it's him. I know it," she cut him off, knowing what he was going to say.

"How can you be so sure?" he asked her quietly.

Sophie looked at Joshua, "I just am."

"Sophie…" Nate started but Eliot interjected, curiosity gnawing at him.

"Sophie, you said that you never met Sonia, right?"

Sophie nodded, her brows knitted as she tried to follow Eliot's line of questioning.

"What was your handler's name?" Eliot continued.

"Nicaro Caesar," Sophie answered evenly.

Eliot's expelled a heavy sigh and looked to Joshua.

"Nicaro Caesar was the man I worked for."

Nate's gaze travelled slowly from Eliot's face to Joshua's as the weight of everything that had been said that night finally began to sink in. His stare landed on Joshua's eyes, the mirror image of his own and the tightness in his throat grew.

Anger churned, wrapped around a gut-crunching pain he couldn't quite label.

But he didn't get a chance to let his emotions play themselves out so he could reach an equilibrium.

"This is all very touching indeed," Sterling called dryly as he entered the room, "but we have company."

His haste made it was clear that his light delivery belied the seriousness of the situation.

They all rose instantly and Sophie reached for Joshua who in turn reached for Eliot.

Sophie's face fell but she quickly composed herself.

"I won't let anything happen to him," Eliot promised softly and Sophie nodded and tried to offer a small smile.

Sterling passed quickly through the huddle and pulled a book loose from the shelves on the wall opposite the door he'd just entered. A creaking noise signaled the heavy, grinding movement of the massive bookshelf to reveal a dimly lit downward staircase.

Nate rolled his eyes and shook his head lightly, caught in the significance of the moment even with the threat lurking outside, "Sterling, really…an escape hidden behind a bookshelf?! Isn't that a bit of a cliché?"

Sterling's head whipped backward, "Do you want to use my cliché or discuss contemporary villainy with the fast approaching horde?"

Eliot and Sophie walked quickly into the tunnel.

"Yes, I thought you'd see my point," Sterling mused as he turned and headed into the tunnel and down the stairs.

Nate stepped in behind him just as the heavy, grinding shelf moved back into position.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Parker froze.

Her chest burned from holding her breath and her mind was racing trying to think of what to do.

At least until she felt herself being tugged toward the slowly spinning blades of the turbine.

Alec was holding her firmly and was propelling her forward.

Parker didn't fight him, neither did she help. She simply let herself be guided.

It was the first time that she could remember not actively taking part in her own survival or the task she was supposed to be performing.

Alec's hands felt reassuring and strong as they held her sides. His power alone was pushing them both toward the blades. Parker couldn't find strength or will. The tunnel around her was getting blacker.

Something felt strange. Then she realized that the desperately hot yearning in her chest for air had cooled considerably. It was turning into a cold, black, stillness, and it was spreading.

Alec saw the blade begin its rotation just as the light on his air gauge begin signaling that he too was out of air. They had to get out of the tunnel as soon as possible…but Parker wasn't moving.

He couldn't see her face but he could see that her hands and feet had stopped moving.

He didn't give her hesitation another moment's thought.

He swam up behind her and grabbed her quickly at her waist and pushed them forward. As he moved with her though her head lobbed limply and a moment's panic flashed into his mind.

His feet paddled furiously and he threw himself and Parker through the blades condensing the effort into one fluid stretch that he felt in every muscle in his body.

They cleared the blades and a most welcome sight welcomed him as he shifted his gaze upward- the giant metal door to the compression chamber. The door that, according to Sonia's map, lead them into the facility.

Parker hung from Alec's grip like a ragdoll. He didn't have time to think about the _'what if'_ though. His own chest was beginning to burn in earnest and the frothy bubbles from the turbine were increasing. His visibility would be compromised if he didn't hurry.

He shifted Parker's weight to one arm, holding her tightly as he ran the other hand along his belt searching for the wedge he needed to open the door.

He was beginning to see small gray dots bursting and floating wherever his eyes tracked and he knew he was running out of time. He too would lose consciousness soon if he didn't get some air.

He ran his fingers along the opening of the door and tries to gauge its middle before he wiggled the wedge into place, hit the button on its top, and waited until he felt the release of the wedge's extended nuzzle inching its way between the length of the sealed door. Then he swam against the wall of the tunnel and waited.

The tiny wedge forced the doors to open grudgingly but only enough for Alec to ease his arm through. The relentless flow of the ocean water took care of the rest. It filled the compression room quickly and overrode the failsafe allowing Alec to find the release at the top of one of the doors so that they would open the rest of the way. Then he swam in and found the compression control against the wall, as Sonia's instructions indicated. He hit the button and kicked furiously to stay at the surface as the water as it drained from the room, all the while slowly pressing and releasing Parker's stomach to force her to expel any water she may have taken into her lungs.

The first fresh breath of air he took was intoxicating. His vision blurred and his strength waned for just a moment before the second inhalation infused his body with oxygen once again.

As the last of the water drained from the chamber, their bodies floated to the grated floor and Alec immediately began working on Parker. He had to get her to breath. It had been too long since she'd had air.

"Come on," he coaxed softly as he mentally counted the compressions he was doing on her chest. "Come on," he called again a little louder as he lowered his mouth to hers to gently force some air into her lungs.

"Parker," he nearly shouted as he pressed down hard once again.

A sputtering, gag as she expelled the water that had filled her throat, was her response.

Alec leaned back on his heels and watched vigilantly as Parker's eyes opened and she regained her sense of where she was.

"How do you feel?" he asked her softly when her eyes slowly found his and held.

She tried to talk but stopped and grimaced before holding her throat and attempting to sit up. He quickly moved to help her and stayed close cradling her against him.

"A little dazed," she answered slowly, hoarsely, "My head is not happy right now."

Alec smiled. Parker was going to be fine.

"Can you move?" he asked reluctantly. He didn't want to rush her but knew that every moment was of the essence.

Parker nodded lightly and made to stand with Alec's help.

Once erect she slowly inhaled a deep breath and rolled her head around to ease the dizziness and pain she was feeling. Alec studied her for a moment but felt helpless and decided that instead of hovering he'd find the door which lead to the facility.

Sonia may have been a scheming sociopath but he had to admit her instructions were spot on. Alec found the latch just where she indicated. A strong-armed pull and the heavy metal door opened to reveal another tunnel. Parker was close on his heels as he made his way into the tunnel.

"The door to the power room is just ahead. I think that's our best bet. There shouldn't be anyone in there," Alec instructed softly. Parker nodded her reply wordlessly but Alec felt her with him, committed and focused.

He thought about what that meant; about how Parker was always committed, how she was always focused, how she was always with him, even when they were separated. He thought about how much of his life was about her; about how much of what he did was for her, because of her. And he realized that he was there for one reason and one reason only and it was to save Parker.

"Ready?" he called quietly to her and turned to see her nod her agreement.

Alec retrieved his pen device and pointed it at the center of the door where- according to Sonia's instructions, the key pad was located on the other side. He knew the pen was reading the code and uploading the override but when nothing happened after a minute he began to worry.

"What's happening?" Parker asked uneasily. She could sense Alec's concern that the door hadn't opened.

"I don't know," he answered her and looked at the pen.

But as the pen reached level to his line of sight, the door opened with a pop and they could both instantly feel the change in the air pressure.

Alec and Parker looked quickly at each other but neither moved.

Alec was certain that the pen hadn't done it. The reaction was too delayed.

But…if it wasn't the pen…

Alec didn't get a chance to finish ask himself the question.

The door opened the rest of the way with a smooth slide and on the other side waiting to greet them were seven very large guns pointed squarely into the tunnel, directly at them.

Alec and Parker froze, their eyes tracking from the tip of one menacing looking gun to the next until a deep voice from behind the gun squad spoke out.

"Did Sonia send you?" the unseen man inquired and a chill ran up Alec's spine.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

"I don't hear or see anyone Sterling," the accusation wove itself between Eliot's words as he looked back toward the darkened house.

The bookcase tunnel led them to a small stone shed so heavily covered in ivy that the blackness of the night rendered it nearly invisible.

"Would you like to go back and see for yourself?" Sterling asked the hitter glibly.

A squinted-eye grunt was Eliot's only response. He turned and found Joshua directly behind him. The boy seemed to cling to him even tighter as they'd gained travelling company.

"He must be terrified," Sophie whispered to Nate's back as he looked out the old, smudged and discolored glass window of the stone shed.

"What?" Nate offered absentmindedly.

"Joshua," she responded, even then delighting in the sound of the word, "he looks scared."

"Eliot will take care of him," Nate offered evenly and Sophie turned sharply to him.

"I'm sure he will but Joshua's our son; don't you think we should be the ones comforting him?" The intensity of her gaze demanded nothing less than Nate's full attention.

He turned to her and placed his hands gently on her upper arms.

"I'm sorry Sophie," the words were genuine but she could sense something more.

And then the truth hit her like a gust of wind.

"You still don't believe he's your son." The words breathily burst free from her lips the instant the thought was formed. The realization was so stunning that she forgot to whisper and three other pair of eyes turned her way.

Nate's spine straightened and he turned her so that his back shielded the other's stares and afforded them a small amount of privacy.

"I…I just want us to be sure," his tone was soft, placating. And Sophie grew angrier with every syllable.

"They kept him from me for three years, Nate." She held up three fingers for emphasis. "They told me his was…dead," she whispered the word. "And now you want to pretend he doesn't exist; that this doesn't make sense because of your need to make everything into a conspiracy."

She shrugged his hands loose from her arms and walked around him toward Joshua. "Look at him, Nate," she urged, but Nate wouldn't turn around.

"Nate, please. Turn and look at him," she called again but Nate instead walked deeper into the shadows at the other end of the shed; his shoulders slumping as he went.

The anger flared within Sophie and she tore after him, grabbing him by his arm and turning him toward her.

"Why is it that you can never accept the good things? Why do you fight so hard to hold on to the bad? Why?" she screamed.

"Because I can't," he snarled back defiantly, breathing hard for a moment before the fight left his face and his shouldered lowered once again.

"What?" she responded after a thoughtful moment, "Why?"

"Because…" he shook his head and swallowed heavily, "I can't…because…"

He couldn't get the words past the sudden dry ache in his throat.

Sophie stepped closer to him and reached up to touch his face, "Because, what, Nate?" she urged him softly.

He lifted his eyes to hers and she understood before he even said the words.

"I can't do that again," he confirmed, "I can't lose another child. If this turns out to be a part of Sonia's plan. I can't do it again, Soph. I barely survived the first time."

His softly spoken explanation carried the weight of a hammer and slammed into her. She felt his grief, his sadness, his anger, even the tentative hope he had for happiness. He had to feel it all in the few minutes that passed since she'd told him.

Sophie wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "I understand. I really do."

She pulled back so that she could look into his face. "I'll just have to believe enough for the two of us," she assured him with a hint of a smile before kissing him quickly and pulling away.

"So now that we've got that sorted," Sterling chided sarcastically, "Now that my future is tied in with you lot, I'd like to know what the plan might be."

"There is no plan," Nate answered still rubbing his face to fully regain his composure after his conversation with Sophie.

"What do you mean, there's no plan?" Sterling responded his eyes wide, incredulous.

"I mean, we came to you to get the read on Sonia so we'd know how to go at her, but as usual working with you seems to be more trouble than it's worth." Nate leaned against the cold stone wall and folded his arms, punctuating the statement.

"Wait a minute," Nate began again and paused, thoughtfully, "how did they know where we were?"

Nate had no sooner uttered the question than the first small projectile broke through the glass and struck Eliot.

"Wha…" Sophie turned to the sound of the window breaking and saw the strained look on Eliot's face before he grabbed his neck and crumpled to the floor.

"NO," she screamed and made to grab Joshua but the second projectile caught her in the shoulder before she could reach the little boy.

The shot winded her and her arm fell limp immediately but she dragged herself toward Joshua and pulled the frightened child into her embrace, shielding him with her body.

"SOPHIE," Nate yelled as she fell, dropping himself to the floor to dodge any additional bullets.

He scrambled toward her and Joshua. He had just enough time to put his arms around them before the heat of a bullet stung his upper back.

A warm liquid sensation radiated throughout his body. He was losing control and in the disconcerting darkness of the stone shed he was scared that that was it.

Nate lifted his head to look at them once more, his Sophie, the little boy whose eyes were so much like his.

He turned to Eliot as well and looked behind him and the sight made his blood run cold.

There, behind them, Sterling stood talking into a comm; the long nuzzle of the gun in his hand stealing quick glimmers of moonlight through the shattered glass.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

A million thoughts raced through Alec's mind. He'd been had again. _Damn you, Sonia._

But before he could formulate a plan he saw a blur and felt it brush his side.

Parker dove at the ground beneath the seven gunmen and rose with her feet connecting with the faces of two of them. She leveraged the crumbling bodies of the initial pair to make hard connections with the others. She anticipated every move, every thought and moved with clarity of purpose that rendered everyone surrounding her mere spectators to her prowess.

As Alec looked on, once again amazed at the near machinelike efficiency of Parker's movements, she systematically immobilized each of the guards and commandeered one of her victims' side-arms. Then she approached the deep voiced man in two steps, the gun pointed squarely at his forehead.

"I don't think you're in a position to ask any questions," she announced coolly; not even slightly winded. "Alec…" she called to him softly without taking her eyes or gun off of her target.

Alec came out of the tunnel and stepped cautiously over the unconscious guards and walked up behind Parker. He leaned in behind her and whispered, "Damn!" into her hair, "that was hot."

The hint of a smile tickled Parker's lips but it didn't break ranks. It wasn't the time to be flattered, or distracted.

But _later_, Parker thought fleetingly. _Later_ she would thoroughly investigate why this man affected her so… why his touch was so intoxicating… why she would do anything to save him.

Alec walked around her and stepped toward the wall and the touch panel mounted there.

"Good…," he said to no one in particular as he pulled out his trusted pen device. "This is linked the ship's CPU."

He turned to Parker, "I can find it from here."

"No you cannot," their nervous hostage responded quietly.

"What are you talking about?" Parker questioned, menacingly angling the gun.

"We knew Sonia would be back," the man lifted his chin defiantly. "We will not let her take it."

Alec's pen device beeped, alerting him that it had finished running a scan for Domino and had come up empty. "I think he's telling the truth."

Parker pressed the gun's tip to the man's skin and he closed his eyes in terrified surrender.

"I will go through this entire building if I have to. Where is it?" she emphasized her words.

The man swallowed nervously but said nothing.

Parker cocked the gun. The man flinched but remained quiet.

"You have until I count to three," she threatened, "One….two…"

He squeezed his eyes and Parker adjusted her grip on the gun.

"WAIT," Alec yelled and walked back to Parker and the frightened man, "Jonathan Yates?"

He stared intently at the man's face and the man opened his eyes to look at Alec.

"I…yes," the man confirmed his furrowed brows displaying the confusion he felt.

Parker eyed them both warily.

"Alec, we don't have time for this," she reminded him softly.

But Alec's discovery consumed his focus, "I knew I recognized you. I thought you were dead?"

"I am…I was," the man stuttered then sighed heavily before he continued. "As far as the world knows, I am dead. Being alive makes me vulnerable, makes the work vulnerable."

"Alec…" Parker called. She was becoming increasingly uneasy about their delay.

"I know," Alec answered pliantly, turning toward her and moving close. "I just…something doesn't feel right. This man is a scientific saint."

"What," Parker asked, taking her eye off of her target for the first time since she first aimed the gun at him.

"Meet _Dr._ Jonathan Yates, creator of the Cyan field," Alec announced with flourish. Parker's blank stare compelled him to continue. "The Cyan field is the safeguard that adds weight and neutralizes CFCs to slow the depletion of the ozone."

Parker turned back to Dr. Yates, impressed and confused.

"What are you doing working with Sonia?" she asked him.

His face contorted in disgust. "I'm not working with Sonia," he snorted derisively, "I'm trying to stop Armageddon."

Parker and Alec instinctively looked at each other.

"What are you talking about," Parker asked the doctor.

"She sent you here for the Domino chip, did she not?" the inflection in his European accent hard to pin point.

Alec nodded in the doctor's direction and elicited a sigh.

"Do you have any idea what that chip is capable of?" Dr. Yates probed them both.

Alec shook his head no and slowly reached up to guide Parker's hand and the gun away from Dr. Yates' forehead.

She obliged him but kept her finger resting lightly in the trigger bed. A man is liable to say anything to save his own life even if only for a few minutes more.

Somehow though she didn't think Dr. Yates fell into that niche. There was desperation to his tone but the desperation was for something larger than his own life.

"Domino is a trajectory divergence probability program that also has the capability to influence outcomes," Dr. Yates began and scanned both Parker and Alec's faces for understanding.

Parker stared expectantly at the doctor waiting for him to continue but Alec's eyes opened wide.

"Are you talking about Chaos theory?" he asked Dr. Yates who nodded his head emphatically.

"That's exactly what I'm talking about." Dr. Yates exclaimed, thrilled that Alec understood so easily. He reached out to touch Alec's shoulder and Parker's gun reclaimed her mark almost as soon as he had the thought.

"I may not know what you're talking about," she ground the words between barely opened lips, "but you still stand between me and my mission so don't for a minute think I won't use this gun."

"Parker," Alec spun around at the action happening behind him and immediately placed himself between Parker and the anxious scientist. His words were soft when he continued, "we can't give Sonia that chip."

The ramification of what Alec was saying rushed into Parker's mind.

"What are you saying?" she asked him, lowering her gun when she realized he had no intention of moving.

"Do you know what Chaos theory means," he asked her.

"I have a general idea; what does…" she responded and Alec interrupted.

"Now think about everything that Sonia has had us do, think about the past three years."

Parker thought about her training and her missions; Nate's placement in Ireland and the identification cleansing Sonia had him do; the discoveries and innovations Alec made trying to find them all.

"Do you see it," he asked her as he saw the seeds of her realization taking root. "Sonia made Sophie align world leaders and executives of companies that influence world markets; and she neutralized Eliot somehow and I think it was by focusing all of his energy onto one child, but the point is, if Sonia gets Domino she will be the most powerful person alive."

"I can see that you believe that," Parker responded, her frustration and anxiety mounting as she thought about their dwindling time. "What I don't see is how."

Dr. Yates took that as his cue, "Do you know what happens if one country makes an aggressive stance against another?"

Parker nodded her head and answered, "War."

Dr. Yates continued, "…in some way, shape, or form…and to the winner goes the spoils, no?"

Parker nodded again.

"Well, what if the same results can be made with no one being to blame? What if a country's power can be nullified without there being a clear aggressor?" Dr. Yates continued.

"How…" Parker asked genuinely confused.

"Naturally," Yates concluded, nodding toward Alec for corroboration.

Parker stared at them both trying to piece together everything she knew.

"It has happened many times throughout history- droughts, famine, floods, earthquakes, fire. These are all natural elements that have changed the course of a country's trajectory of power. There was no clear aggressor but there have been those who have reaped the rewards, who've been able to propel their countries toward greatness on the backs of those who've failed." Dr. Yates added.

Understanding finally began to fully settle on Parker's face.

"Domino has the capability to control the weather," she breathed and looked toward Alec.

Alec was staring at her waiting for her to understand as he did that they couldn't give Sonia the one thing that would save both their lives and possibly end millions more.


	33. Chapter 33

**Thank you Koxie, Nessie, Laurellilly. Your encouragement does so much more than you know. **

**And to my story buddies Chi Guy and Zee Zee Magee, and those who've returned over and over to see this story unfold- this is for you. Thanks.**

**Happy New Year folks. Live FEARLESSLY for 2013!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 33<p>

The blood was the first thing Eliot consciously remembered; the taste of it as it pooled in his mouth.

He regained consciousness with a start but limited his movement to just his eyes.

The effects of the tranquilizer localized to a stinging sensation in his neck.

He took three deep, slow breaths, trying in vain to assess his surroundings with as little effort as possible but he couldn't get a read on his location and he couldn't sense anyone else around him.

_Nate… Sophie…._

_Joshua._

His stomach turned with instant anxiety.

He opened his eyes as slightly as possible trying to gain some bearing without alerting anyone that he was as yet conscious.

He was in a small room with a high ceiling and a cold, damp cement floor and walls.

He was alone.

_This isn't happening again. _

The nagging admonishing tore at him. Again they were ambushed, separated. Again he was alone and wondering if they were alive.

Then a thought calmed him. They were alive. They had to be; or he'd be dead too.

He pushed himself up off of the concrete and located the closest wall so he could get his bearings and figure out his next move from a safe vantage point.

As his vision cleared and he acclimatized to the sheer size and darkness of his cell he realized that he was truly alone. There were no traps awaiting him but his solitude was not necessarily a good thing. He was locked behind a solid, metal door and everything he gave a damn about was on the other side.

That thought was the spark. Without any further thinking Eliot charged the door like a man possessed; screaming, cursing, kicking and hitting the door with as much focused energy as he could muster. His tirade didn't go unaddressed for very long.

"Hey in there, shut that noise up," a gruff voice bounced off of the other side of the metal door and Eliot revved up his racket.

"Come in here and shut me up then. I tell you what though, if anything happens to that little boy…" Eliot screamed at the door with as much gravel as he could muster.

But he was greeted with silence.

He listened for a moment then pounded the door, "Do you hear me?"

The silence stretched and he pounded the door once more in frustration before walking toward the back of the tiny cell.

He was within arm's length of the far wall when the deep buzz of the electrical release filled the room. Followed by the heavy clang of the door's stiff, metal latch coming loose.

Eliot spun around, squared his stance and clenched his fists, ready to take on anything that stepped across the threshold.

But as the door opened and the light from outside poured in trailing a path straight toward him, Sonia stepped coolly into view and stalled his advance.

"I'm happy that you're awake, Mr. Spencer. I've wanted to speak with you for some time now."

Eliot's left eyebrow arched but the rest of his body remained perfectly still.

"The rest of your party is safe. I have no intention of harming them," Sonia began.

"Where are they," Eliot snarled.

"They are safe," Sonia reiterated; her voice cooler, resolute. Eliot knew he'd get nowhere if he didn't play along.

"What do we have to talk about? How you lied to me? How you used me… used that little boy?" As cool as he wanted to play it, he could feel his anger rising.

"It's regrettable. Regardless of what you may think of me, I am not a monster." Sonia said evenly as she took one more, small step into the room. Eliot felt like a mouse being stalked and cornered by a snake. He wanted to grab that snake and twist its neck.

"Where is Caesar?" he asked and closely watched her body as she prepared her response.

"Mr. Caesar has important business to conduct in Europe. He is not involved in the things that you are I are about discuss."

"What do you want," he asked again without missing a beat although he knew instantly that Caesar was dead. He knew human behavior- her response was seamless but he knew that Sonia was telling a lie. Caesar was dead and Sonia was the one who killed him.

"We have a mutual need," she continued but stopped to gauge Eliot's response. He remained still, giving nothing away, although his anxiety about his friends' safety was mounting.

"Two of your friends were sent to retrieve an item for me which is of great personal importance. They've missed their window to return and I need to initiate my contingency in case they are unsuccessful."

"Cut the bull. Straight talk, what do you want from me?" Eliot lowered his glare and asked her pointedly.

Sonia smiled- slightly taken by Eliot's lack of pretense, his candor- but just as quickly her smile faded. She took a small beat before she continued, as if weighing what she was about to say, "…I need to neutralize a threat…the Emir."

Eliot's eye brows involuntarily and instantly shot up. Eliot knew exactly who she was referring to. He'd seen the news stories; followed the global political tensions; knew that the Emir was a rising power among the enemies of the government he once swore to protect with his own life. But this was no Sunday-morning-rooftop-pick-off. The Emir was an extremely powerful man with a very enthusiastic national following. He was touted to be the next leader of his country. And while Eliot knew politics was essentially the biggest con there was, the Emir seemed to be sincerely aligned with the needs of his people.

It wasn't his job to ask why, though. His job was to do.

"What are the specs," he asked after he took a quick, cleansing breath.

Sonia smiled slightly once again then turned to leave the room.

"Someone will be here to brief you," she said as she stood in the doorway, "I'm happy that we could come to this understanding Mr. Spencer."

And with that she turned her back fully to Eliot, not at all afraid that he would attack her. She knew he understood that she had the power to take away what was important to him.

He knew he would die for them.

Sonia knew he would also kill.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

_You carry my heart in your heart._

The words came from nowhere and repeated themselves over and over in Parker's mind.

Her eyes involuntarily rested on Alec's chest. She stared at him as though she could actually see his heart beating.

"There has to be something we can do," she said as she stepped toward him, "This can't be it."

Alec met her gaze and he understood the panic she felt because he felt it too. Denying Sonia the Domino chip was signing their death warrant. He couldn't, wouldn't let Parker die.

As he stared into her hazel eyes, inspiration flared and he stepped toward her.

"Yes, there is something we can do," he responded, his hands itching to grab and hug her.

He fought the urge but winked at her instead before he walked over to Dr. Yates.

"Dr. Yates, this isn't the final version of Domino, right?" Alec's rhetorical question caught Dr. Yates off guard.

"Uhhmm…no," Dr. Yates replied thoughtfully, "the final was her fifth attempt."

"YES," Alec half laughed, half shouted as he pumped his fist enthusiastically.

He turned to Parker and pumped his fist triumphantly.

"We got her baby," he called to her then stopped abruptly when he realized that he'd called her _baby_.

"Um, sorry," he offered quickly before he saw that she was smiling.

"Dr. Yates, can I access your archives from this computer?" Alec asked as he made his way over to the computer.

"You can with the code," Dr. Yates offered as he promptly reached over Alec and punched in the ten digit access.

As Dr. Yates stood back and watched over Alec's shoulder, the hacker went to work moving and manipulating a steady stream of formulas and data code.

"Oh, I understand what you're doing. You are an impressive young man. Were you ever vetted by the Institute?" Dr. Yates called to Alec's back. "We keep an eye out for talent such as yours."

Alec smiled sheepishly and nodded his answer. "Heavily, actually, for a couple of years. There was some interest from quite a few agencies until a few minor youthful indiscretions somehow made it to public files when I turned I turned to …um…other pursuits."

"Oh," Dr. Yates said finally.

Parker observed their exchange for a moment then stepped closer to the two men.

"Alec, our time is running out."

Alec didn't turn to her but her reminder hastened his typing.

Parker turned to walk away from them. Something in the situation gnawed at her. It felt too easy.

"Alec," she turned back to face them, "this doesn't feel right. Sonia is meticulous. She thinks of every contingency."

Alec finally turned toward her, "she didn't account for everything. She didn't account for you."

He smiled at her and she understood instantly everything that they'd been through hadn't been in Sonia's plan. Sonia hadn't expected the reaction that Parker would have to Alec. She hadn't anticipated losing control. Parker hadn't anticipated it either but she knew she was changed and Alec's refusal to give up on her was the reason why.

Parker smiled at the thought and was put a little more at ease. Alec turned back to the monitor and entered a few more strokes.

"Done," he said finally and saved the Domino formula to his pen drive, "…and done."

He turned back to Dr. Yates, "Dr. Yates, do you have a transport we could use to resurface?"

The older man's face broke into a smile.

"I have just the thing," he replied and led Parker and Alec out an exit the opposite end from where they had come in.

He stepped onto an indoor dock that housed a small, sleek submarine.

Dr. Yates turned to the pair, "It was Sonia's personal machine," he told them, smiling conspiratorially.

"You," Alec smiled back at Dr. Yates, "are very, very cool."

"Thank you, Dr. Yates," Parker offered sincerely, "I'm sorry if I was…hasty."

Alec's eyes opened wide. Parker apologized. Even old Parker had a difficult time acknowledging her mistakes.

"It's quite alright," he responded, his thick accent tinged with genuine understanding, "I know all too well what Sonia is capable of."

His recounting sounded so personal it sparked Alec's interest, "Did you work with her?"

Dr. Yates nodded slowly, "Sonia is the most brilliant biochemist I've ever worked with, a little obsessive, but brilliant. She was singularly focused on sustainability when we met… then several years ago she just changed. Her focus became…warped. But even in that, her genius went to another level."

Alec and Parker listened intently, holding on to any bit of information that would give them the upper hand against their seemingly omniscient adversary.

"Then about five years ago she finished her work on something she called the Prometheus Protocol. She never discussed it and she worked on it day and night. It was dark stuff; Cessation and reanimation of organic matter, cell manipulation, behavioral modification… dark stuff. And I wanted no part but she was convinced it was the future…the answer."

Parker's hand discreetly shot for Alec's. The act caught them both off guard but he held her hand before she could pull away.

"She stopped confiding in me," Dr. Yates continued, "She stopped talking to me all together. I only got little glimpses into what she was doing because a few of the scientist she worked with were friendly with me but she didn't trust them either. None of them knew the full extent of her work or the work they were all doing for her. Then…" he paused and Parker and Alec realized they'd both been holding their breaths in anticipation.

"…they all started disappearing. All of the men she worked with. Each of them, one by one. I never knew if she'd perfected Prometheus but if her interest in the Domino chip is any indication, her descent into the dark side of science has deepened."

Dr. Yates blinked out of his thoughts and smiled apologetically at the entranced pair, "Forgive me for holding you hostage with my ramblings. Sometimes it's difficult for me to understand how someone can fall so far from their calling. I think that regardless of where Sonia has been and the things she has done, at heart she is a scientist….please don't let me keep you. I pray for all of our sakes you are in time to stop her."

Parker nodded at their new ally and made her way into the small sub. Alec extended his hand to the doctor in gratitude before following Parker and folding his long frame into the tiny water craft.

As they slowly ascended from the dark, murky ocean depths, they were each preoccupied by their own thoughts.

And one looming question- Were they too late?


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

The plan was simple enough.

The timing was another matter entirely.

According to her instructions, Sonia wanted the Emir taken out of the picture within the next 24 hours.

A job that usually took months- weeks at the least, to plan, was to be conceived and executed in two hours. His appointed transport would be there to take him to his task; a task Eliot was convinced would have dire global ramifications.

He had no choice, though. At least, not yet.

As he outfitted himself and committed the map of the Emir's office to memory, he thought back to the job that made him leave the government's service so many years before. He had the same feeling then too- reluctance and doubt. His intuition told him what he was doing wasn't right but he had followed his orders and regretted it every day since.

_This isn't like that, Spencer._ He assured himself. _You're buying time. That's it._

The problem was that he was only half convinced.

* * *

><p>"Damn that Sterling. I should have known…" Nate's hand tore roughly through his hair.<p>

"I hope he's not scared," Sophie spoke softly against the cold metal door of their cell. She planted herself there ever since she and Nate woke up and she realized Joshua was not with them.

"I'm sure he's fine," Nate offered softly. He went to Sophie and sat beside her, leaning his back against the metal door.

"She has no reason to hurt him," Sophie told Nate pointedly and he nodded in agreement knowing that Sophie needed the reassurance more desperately than he did.

"She wants us," Nate assured her. "She needs us… for something."

He spoke his thoughts aloud, the nagging feeling of the far too slowly developing picture, frustrating him beyond reason. Then Sophie turned toward him and he saw her tear-streaked face.

"He's fine, Sophie," he assured her softly, "I promise. Like you just said, she has no reason to hurt him."

Sophie nodded but the heartbreak on her face was etched. She would have no ease until she saw the little boy with her own eyes. She leaned against Nate and took small comfort in his presence. She was tired to the bone. So much had happened in such a short period of time; So many of her things that she'd desperately prayed for had been granted. She had her family back; she was back in the arms of the man she loved; but somehow her peace, her happiness felt preempted. It ached that much more because it was within her grasp.

"Damn it," she turned back to the door. Her anxiety was rising again. "Why won't they come and talk to us…something…anything?"

Nate though, was grateful for the reprieve. As worried as he was about the little boy, he knew he and Sophie needed to be prepared for when Sonia decided to pay them a visit.

"We're missing something," he said more to himself than to Sophie, "I just…can't get a handle on it."

He leaned his head against the door as Sophie rested her forehead against it. Neither aware that a floor above them Eliot was preparing to change the course of the world.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

The ride to the surface had been slow. They'd been ascending for nearly forty minutes and still had quite a few more feet to go.

Parker and Alec were seated so close to each other in the two-seater sub their arms touched, but for as much as they communicated during their ascent, they could have been in separate machines.

"Do you think I'm the end result of Sonia's Prometheus experiment?" Parker asked when the quiet became almost unbearable.

She looked over to Alec, her eyes wide and seeking.

Alec took a thoughtful breath before he answered.

"Honestly, I don't know," he said as directly as he could. "You are different- and Sonia's hand is all over it. I don't know the extent of it or even if it's the same thing that Dr. Yates was talking about but, you know what, Park, you beat it. She doesn't control you as she'd like to. You're changing, evolving. You're finding your way back."

Parker nodded and let out a breath and Alec saw how much the question had been wearing on her. He reached over to squeeze her hand.

"Look, we finally got a break. For the first time since we started this thing we have a chance of getting the upper hand. I promise you as soon as we make sure Sonia doesn't blow up the world, I will commit everything I have to getting all of her cooties out of you."

Parker laughed nervously then her face softened into a genuine smile, "Thank you."

She had a sudden urge to be close to him. She wanted to be physically closer than they already were. The strength of the impulse made her bite the end of her lower lip.

It was the wrong time- the wrong place- an inappropriate feeling.

But the action of her lower lip slipping between her teeth caught and held Alec's attention. Her lips became all he could see; it was as though they were pulling him in. Alec's mouth instantly became very dry. This wasn't the time or the place, but he couldn't stop himself. He couldn't tear his gaze away.

And neither could she. The feeling and intensity of his stare heating her lips made Parker's compulsion that much stronger.

"Alec…" his name floated from her mouth on a sigh.

Without another thought his hand lifted to caress her neck. His thumb slid slowly over her lower lip and Parker's eyes drifted closed. She arched her neck, lost in the small moment of blissful abandon she allowed herself.

The smooth expanse of her neck beckoned him and the light blush that trailed up one side was like the teasing topping on a decadent dessert.

He had to taste her, if only just a little.

Alec kissed her neck and Parker gasped softly, a low, deep sigh filled with a just a hint of very much she wanted him to touch her.

He could taste the salty sweet of her skin, a mixture of ocean water and the addicting flavor of her heated body.

He could feel himself slipping. He was losing conscious recognition of where he was. All that seemed important was Parker's lips, the feel of her, the smell, the sound.

And then she lowered her head and found his lips with her own. She kissed him slowly; savored him. She lavished each of his lips with slow, deliberate attention. Alec wove his hands into her hair and slowly caressed her cheek with his thumb as Parker gave into the pull of her attraction to him.

Their hearts raced and the temperature in the tiny compartment of the sub spiked exponentially.

Parker reached up to touch Alec's face. The feel of her palm against his skin melted him even further but it also snapped him back to their present.

His body ached for her but his mind hollowly echoed- _Another time. Another place._

With a deep breath he pulled his lips away but kept his forehead lightly pressed against hers.

He swallowed deeply; having one quick flash of regret as his lips protested the absence of hers.

"Parker, I…" he began.

"I know," she interrupted softly, understanding explicitly, even as she focused on getting her heart rate steady once more.

They opened their eyes simultaneously, each gracing the other with a small smile.

Parker let go first; shifting in her seat to face forward, "We'll be surfacing soon."

Alec turned to look out of their front screen but the discomfort of aborted copulation wasn't something the skintight wetsuit was willing to let him forget. His body was still humming with the intensity of his need for Parker- and it showed. He had to get control…and quick.

_Gummy frogs…orange soda…π=3.144444 …energy equals mass times the velocity of light squared…'By the power of GreySkull'…'Live long and prosper'…_

Alec's mind tried desperately to return to the task at hand but his body would have been very happy to stay in that tiny submarine and satisfy every urge Parker stirred within him.

'_Get a grip, Hardison,' _he chided himself. The admonishment didn't help.

"Alec, do you think they're going to be waiting when we resurface?" Parker asked.

The thought of Sonia standing on the shore, armed guards waiting to hurt him, hurt Parker. That did it. His focus returned with laser precision.

He pulled out the pen device and began to scan for radio chatter.

He didn't detect any but unease one again settled on him.

Sonia always seemed to be one step ahead. He wondered what she would do when she realized she'd been had.

He didn't want to dwell on it. He just had to ensure that once he got the upper hand, he kept it.

The submarine surfaced and leveled off with a bump, jolting Alec out of his thoughts.

As the powered-down machine floated clumsily on the lapping waves close to the shore, Alec opened the top hatch of the vessel and the cool night air swirled around them. They were greeted with the deep blackness of land and sea devoid of ambient light and the peppering of millions of large, bright stars overhead.

There was a peaceful stillness to the scene… but Parker knew differently.

They were not alone.

The scene was familiar; she had participated in quite a few just like it during her time in Sonia's employ. It was a blind ambush to assess the threat level before an assault.

She could smell the faint whiff of helicopter fuel hanging in the air, and the hair on the back of her neck was standing at attention.

She still had the confiscated sidearm but it would make no difference. There would no doubt be guns trained on both she and Alec's heads and hearts and at the water that surrounded them.

"Alec," she said calmly, belying the anxiety that was rising within her, "we're not alone."

Alec, who was in the process of scanning the area for radio chatter, froze and lowered his arm back into the sub.

"Where are they?" he asked as his eyes strained against the dark for any movement or reflective light. "Are you sure?" he questioned when his first glance revealed no threat.

"Yes," Parker replied definitively. "We don't have any other option but to go to shore. This machine doesn't have enough fuel or oxygen to take us to the mainland and they will wait us out."

"Okay," Alec complied, "but we do not separate again; Even if we have to fight."

"Agreed," Parker answered quickly. She'd been thinking the same thing. They seemed to fare far better together than they did apart.

She tucked the gun beneath the seat of the sub and held her hands up and above her head as she stood up. No sooner had she arisen than two small red dots landed on her chest. She could only guess there were two on her head as well.

Alec saw the lasers on Parker's chest and head and sprung up defensively but she stopped his panicked advance.

"They won't kill us…yet," she started quickly. "If they were here to kill us we'd be dead already. They just want us to know that they're here and they have us covered."

Alec steadied and realized his own chest was riddled with red laser light. He lifted his hands above his head in surrender and turned his focus onto the shore where at least six white headlights turned on one after the next.

"Amphibian assault teams," Parker informed him. "They're coming."

As they approached Alec began counting how many men were sent to collect them. He'd counted thirty before he decided that fighting their way out was not going to be plan A.

"T A 1," one of the armed men shouted as the first vessel approached the floating sub.

"Affirmative," Parker shouted back and lowered her hands to stoop and retrieve the gun from under her seat. She stood, holding the firearm firmly at her side.

She turned to Alec, unsmiling. "Step off of the sub and get into the boat." Her instructions were clear and cold and a sickening chill ran the length of Alec's entire body.

He stared at her for a few seconds before he could blink. His heart was racing again and his head felt light.

"Parker…" he softly said her name in disbelief.

"Please step into the boat," she instructed again with no compassion in her voice.

Alec swallowed and turned to the boat idling to his left and stepped gingerly onto its bow.

Parker followed closely behind.

Alec was stunned and numbed. His mind raced to figure out if this had been the plan all along. If he'd been suckered into doing Sonia's bidding because of his love for Parker. If Parker played into his feelings as part of Sonia's plan.

He'd been so preoccupied by his thoughts that he wasn't aware when the boat drove out of the water and rolled straight over the sand. It rolled through the first few lines of trees on the beach toward a cleared opening where a large helicopter was waiting.

"This is our transport," the same soldier who addressed Parker prior spoke again. "We rendezvous with logistics on the mainland. You'll get your travel docs and head back to HQ."

Parker nodded her response as the deafening whir of the helicopter's blades and engine roared to life.

Alec looked at her his mind racing to assess every look, every touch, every word she'd said to him over the course of the past few days, looking for any indication that she'd been playing him for a fool the entire time.

He couldn't think of one instance.

But as she loaded him on the helicopter taking him back to Sonia and possibly his death, he thought at least one thing for certain- even if he'd known she was working him from the beginning he wouldn't have done anything differently. And he still would have fallen in love with her all over again.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Nate rested his head against the metal door and cast his eyes upward.

Sophie had finally fallen into a light sleep and he was taking the moment to gather his thoughts.

He contemplated everything he knew about Sonia thus far. He was missing something. He could hear old Jimmy in his head telling him that he was missing the obvious, that he was thinking too big. The keys to unlocking the whole thing were right in his grasp and he was missing it. It was crazy-making.

Nate rolled his head left and right against the door in his frustration with himself and the situation. Then the dim light above his head caught his attention.

_Wait a minute…keys._

He rolled his head deliberately against the door again and heard the tell-tale catch of the electronically controlled bolt_._ It sounded different from the manual latch- it was heavier, firmer. But it was also easier to open, if you had the right tools.

_Keys weren't necessary._

Nate smiled to himself_. _Sometimes Jimmy's criminal history was a real Godsend. His father was a veritable 'How-To' encyclopedia on criminal mischief.

Nate stood up excitedly and looked at the door's lock.

_Yes! He could almost jump up and click his heels. _

The keyhole opened to the inside of the cell too. He could open it from the inside.

He looked down at Sophie and was almost tempted to let her sleep a few seconds longer but he needed her help with his plan.

He stooped to gently nudge her out awake. She roused easily but with a slight start.

"Wha…" she mumbled but Nate's eager face stalled her question.

"Do you have a hairpin?" He asked, his eyes twinkling.

Sophie woke up fully, in an instant, "I know that face. You have a plan."

She stood up and reached into her hair. As a rule, regardless of her hair style she always kept a hairpin tucked for emergencies. A grifter must-have or fashion 'do', she could no longer remember.

She plucked the pin from her hair just as Nate reached up to unscrew the bulb from its socket.

Sophie watched everything Nate did with rapt attention, a hard task as his removal of the bulb severely diminished their light. If she was curious she didn't give it away in the least. She trusted him explicitly.

He took off his shirt and wrapped the bulb within it. Then he swung the small sack at the wall and heard the muffled shatter of the bulb's glass.

He laid the shirt on the ground and fished among the chards for the bulb's screw cap. Then he extended his palm to Sophie for the hairpin.

He straightened the pin and curled one end around the filament of the bulb, leaving the other end to jut straight out of the screw cap. He then picked up the contraption, holding the screw cap with his shirt.

He looked into the dark depths of Sophie's eyes, wanting desperately for his plan to work. Sophie smiled at him, silently reassuring him that she had faith. He smiled back; always finding the encouragement he needed in her eyes.

Nate angled the rigged device toward the electric sensor within the lock and when he felt it stop he wiggled it to trigger a reaction.

He didn't have to wait for very long. The current found its conductor, routed through the filament wires and went right back into the sensor- tricking the lock into thinking it received a signal to open.

The lock opened with a heavy click and Nate and Sophie looked at each other in hopeful disbelief.

_Was it really that easy?_

Nate motioned to Sophie to stand behind him before he slowly opened the door and peeked out into the dimly lit hallway.

There was no one there; nothing to hamper their escape. Another quick scan told Nate there were no cameras. It was almost too much to ask for. Then he rationalized that Sonia would not have reason to be so cautious when they were locked away.

With an uneasy hope they left the cell and stepped lightly and quickly toward the opening at the end of the hallway.

"…Interpol. You don't think they know where I am? There is a Queen's army bearing down on this place as we speak…"

Nate and Sophie halted in their tracks at the bellowing they heard from behind one of the cells toward the end of the hallway. Nate would recognize that British accent anywhere.

"Sterling?" he called softly as he stepped to the door.

"Let him rot," Sophie shouted with uncharacteristic venom. Her sole focus was finding Joshua, not helping the man who put them all in that situation.

"Nate? …How'd you get out" Sterling started then thought better of his line of questioning, "oh wait, obviously with your pedigree jail break tutorials come right after potty training doesn't it?"

"You know Sterling, I was going to open this thing if for no other reason than to knock your smug head in but I think I have better things to do," Nate replied as he reached for Sophie's hand to continue walking.

"Nate, wait. I have information," Sterling bargained.

Both Nate and Sophie stopped and Nate turned back to Sterling's cell.

"What information do you have, James?" Nate asked impatiently.

"Open the door, Nathan," Sterling replied.

"I think I'll take my chances with our host. I've been burned by you once already this evening," Nate called but he didn't move.

"I know you're still standing there, you know. Dammit…I know it would only be a matter of time before she found all of you. I just bided my time until she did then I figured if I bagged the lot, I can get into her good graces, get the information I needed from her, and still save your sorry lives."

Nate looked at Sophie, who anxiously looked at the exit before exhaling a quick breath. She didn't care if Sterling was freed or not she just wanted to find the little boy.

"…she was going to kill you Nate, before I shot you with the tranquillizer. You know too much, you were getting too close to the answers."

Those were the magic words. Sterling purchased his freedom with the one carrot Nate couldn't leave on the dangle.

"If you're lying to me or leading me on some goose chase, Sterling…" Nate's words were loaded and Sterling could feel the certainty of the threat within.

"I get it; tar, feathers, hot oil, a guillotine. Just open the damned door," Sterling exhaled exasperatedly.

Nate ran to the end of the hallway and found the cells' emergency release he knew would be there.

With a loud buzz the cells open and Sterling emerged from his cell adjusting his sleeves.

"Well, if they didn't know you'd escaped, they know n…" The last words of Sterling's sentence rolled back into his mouth as Sophie's slap snapped his mouth closed and his head to the right.

"I always knew you were a cold bastard, but to do this to that little boy…" hot tears filled Sophie's eyes.

Sterling caressed his sore cheek, aware that even his trademark indignant anger wouldn't turn the tide in his favor. "Look," he began softly, "I know this looks bad but she was coming anyway. I thought I could buy some time, get some information, everybody wins."

He reached his hand out toward Sophie, "You and I have never really been the best of friends but I would never willingly let any harm come to a child. You have to know that."

Sophie wouldn't take his hand but she knew his contrition was sincere. She nodded her acknowledgement.

"Okay, James," Nate focused on Sterling, "Spill it. What do you know?"

Sterling exhaled heavily, "well, we were half right. She has studied your little team and your fates are entwined but we overstated her network. This woman is far more selective in who she lets in on her plans than we initially thought. She's not so much a Hydra, than she is a Chess master. No one knows the whole picture but her."

"Where is she now?" Nate questioned.

"…and where's Joshua?" Sophie added.

"I don't know but I need to get to a phone, then perhaps I can answer all of your questions." Sterling told the pair.

"There's an exit at the end of the hallway. There's got to be more to this box that this hallway." Nate indicated at the opening at the far end.

The three made their way quickly and when Nate peeked into the stairwell, all was quiet.

He signaled for the others to follow and he quietly made his way up the staircase to the first floor. Another look into the first floor hallway and Nate grew more wary.

"Do you notice anything strange?" he asked his companions.

"Just that it's mighty quiet." Sterling answered as they walked down the first floor hallway.

"Where is everyone?" Sophie whispered although there was no one there to hear them.

"I don't know, but I have a feeling they're not coming back," Nate said as he walked into a space he suspected was used as an office but had since been cleaned out.

There was nothing there but discarded furniture and a few useless pieces of paper.

"This is beyond strange," Sterling added as he found the hanging phone lines but no phone.

"Nate," Sophie called him softly, "where is he?"

Her anxiety over the little boy's whereabouts had reached its peak. Nate could see the anguish on her face. Regardless of how he felt about the revelation of the boy's parentage, he was also concerned about his safety.

"We'll find him, Sophie," Nate promised as he reached up to caress her face.

"I found something," Sterling called to the others and they both rushed over to see a small timer mounted on the wall; thin blue, red, and black wires trailing out of its end.

Sophie swallowed a rush of saliva that instantly filled her mouth, "Is that what I think it is?"

"If you think it's the reason no one else is here, you'd be right," Sterling called out as he backed away from the large red numbers rapidly counting down from 5 minutes.

"Joshua," Sophie's horror-struck face drained of color.

"Eliot," Nate thought out loud.

"There's no time. GET OUT!" Sterling snapped them to attention.

Nate grabbed Sophie's hand and pulled her out of the cleared space and down the hallway with Sterling hot on their heels.

They ran down the staircase and out the first exit they met, which took them to another hallway.

Sophie stopped and pulled her hand out and away from Nate's. Tears were flowing in earnest, then.

"I can't…what if he's here? I can't leave him here." She was nearly hysterical.

"Sophie," Nate held her upper arms firmly but gently, "he's not here. I promise. It doesn't fit. She can leverage him. Sonia is nothing if not calculating."

A quick, soft sob escaped her chest and she turned back toward the hallway they'd just run.

"…if we stay here, we will die. He will lose us again." Nate knew it was a cheap shot but something he couldn't explain told him the little boy wasn't there. Something also told him Sophie was running on empty and her emotions were too raw to see that they needed to escape.

It worked. She nodded then ran toward a waiting Sterling, who was hovering in the doorway of the exit that took them to the vacant parking lot.

They ran full out and as far away from the site as they could before turning to view the small, non-descript building surrounded by a large paved plot of land in the middle of nowhere.

One minute passed, then two and the building remained intact; teasing them as they caught their breaths.

"What the h….." Sterling began but the blowback shut him right up.

The side of the building that faced them burst forth violently. The fireball that followed it blinding in its yellow-red-orange brilliance. The explosions were massive and created a sound wave that threw the three of them backward several feet.

Nate's ears were ringing and the sting of several small cuts tore at his face and chest but other than that he was alive. And as he looked over to Sophie and saw that she was dazed but otherwise healthy and safe, he realized that a very important development had just happened. Sonia now believed he was dead. She wouldn't see him coming.

It was the first time since he'd met Sonia that he felt he finally had the upper hand.


	38. Chapter 38

**Happy (belated) Valentine's Day **

**Thanks again for the response. Thank you, Zee-Zee, Laurellilly, Ghee, February28, Koxie, Farrago42, Chiguy- all of the favs, the support of the story, to my writing- they're all so encouraging. I appreciate them all so much. **

**I try not to answer plot questions mainly because I don't always have an answer but I am able to answer the question by farrago42: The only thing I knew for certain when I started writing was that Alec was alone, he'd lost the team. He thought they were all dead and he wanted revenge on the person he thought was responsible. I also knew that Parker would come back into his life as a different version of herself and eventually it would be revealed that the rest of the team didn't die. I didn't know Sylvia/ Sonia was going to be the baddie, I didn't know there was going to be all of this science, I didn't know about Joshua**** The story wrote itself. Sometimes plots or characters or lines would wake me up and scream at me until I jotted them down. And I get just as excited or intrigued about what's going on as everyone else does. Even when I re-read it from the beginning (which I've done a couple of times), I get wrapped up in how it plays out.**

**It's like that with everything I write. **

**I just finished my first full novel and now I'm editing- not fun! There's also an Eliot-centered story that has been calling to me for the past several months- a continuation of The big payback. Should be fun seeing that one unfold**

**I'm so sad that Leverage ended. I really enjoyed it. Fingers crossed that something works out with another network.**

**I hope you all enjoy this new entry.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 38<p>

The helicopter ride back to the mainland was short and loud. Parker and the other members of Sonia's army communicated with each other through their headsets so Alec was left to wonder what they were saying.

He felt like a fool; a dead man walking.

He'd been had- again.

But he made up his mind that the first chance he got he would destroy the pen device. Sonia wouldn't get any information out of him and she wouldn't get a shred of Domino, even if the formula he concocted wasn't the completed version she was after.

His growing anger made it easier to avoid the devastation that was creeping into his mind.

_What if none of it was real? What if it had all been a con? What if Parker was gone…for good? _

He didn't want to think about it, or feel the hurt. He wanted to inflict hurt- and he would start with Sonia.

The anger felt good. It numbed him. It made it easier for him to think in straight lines instead of the wild circles of 'what if' and 'if only' that emotion created. There was no room for that. He wouldn't ache for Parker any more. He would accept that she was lost to him and he would get on with what needed to get done.

Alec had his entire plan devised by the time the helicopter touched down on the mainland. All he had left to do was bide his time and play nice. Then he would strike when Sonia least expected it.

His final action would be absolute. There'd be no turning back but at least Sonia wouldn't be able to hurt him or those he loved any more.

Parker and the soldier from the beach were the only two that escorted Alec as they arrived at an ordinary looking building in the middle of the mainland's busiest street. The building's façade was deceptively plain but once inside, the set up reminded him of the secret basement in every super-spy-movie he'd ever seen. There were new weapons being tested, lighted maps of every corner of the world, people in white lab coats that spoke in languages that they alone understood, and vehicles with gadgets and gizmos and things the man on the street couldn't envision in their wildest dreams.

Alec was more than a little in awe, even if he wanted to blow the place up.

"In here," the beach soldier instructed as they walked into a small, bright room just beyond the wide open space of the main product room.

There was a pair of uniforms and other outfits hanging on a rack, and two passports atop an itinerary arranged on a table. The passports bore Alec's and Parker's faces and the itinerary detailed the next several hours with the last task being: 'DELIVER DOMINO TO HEADQUARTERS'.

Alec hadn't bothered reading the rest of the task list. He was biding his time, going where he was led. There would be no need for independent thought. He didn't need to be concerned with other thoughts anyway. His sole focus was on the last line item of the itinerary and what it meant- Meeting Sonia at Headquarters.

If Parker had been playing him, Sonia had to have known that the Domino he had was a fake, so there must have been another reason she was requesting the meeting. There was something else she was after but he couldn't think of what it could be and he really didn't invest too much of his energy trying to guess. He was looking as forward to their meeting as she must have been.

The beach soldier exited the room but not before informing them that their plane was fueling up for their departure. It wouldn't be long.

The respite gave them both a moment to refresh. Each showered and ate and dressed quickly and in deafening silence.

Alec avoided looking at Parker and she hadn't said a word since they'd left the helicopter.

He thought it just as well though. The sound of her voice would work against his resolve, and he couldn't go back to not seeing recognition on her face. If she didn't remember him or their past it would be easier for them both when he put his plan into effect.

Instead they both busied themselves preparing for their trip.

There was a very formal suit hanging on the rack and Alec was instructed to place it into his bag. He didn't know its purpose but as far as he could tell they were to attend an event before they met Sonia at HQ. The specifics didn't matter to him. He couldn't believe it would have been very important as Sonia wouldn't want anything hampering him from meeting her at the end of the night.

"It's time," their escort announced as he re-entered the room, "gear up."

Alec grabbed his bag and passport. As he lifted the small booklet, his eyes caught the third line of the itinerary: OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT BILMARK HOTEL. 9:00PM

For some reason the line stuck in his consciousness but he didn't have time to read the rest of the page before their escort removed the document and shredded it as had been Sonia's custom. _No paper trail. Everything committed to memory._

For one very brief moment he wondered if he should have read the entire page but Parker walked past him without making eye contact and her small act steeled his resolution.

_One way, or the other, it ends tonight._


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

Nate, Sophie, and Sterling were more than a little dazed.

They rose from the blast a little battered but well enough to make a quick escape; each of them thinking that Sonia's men might return to ensure that all loose ends were tidied.

They walked for nearly a mile of dark, back roads before they found a payphone on the outskirts of the city and Sterling was able to contact his office and organize a team to meet them.

The nagging in Nate's head was getting louder the entire time.

_What is Sonia up to? And where was the rest of the team? _

He felt confident that Eliot was not in the explosion, but where was the Hitter? And for that matter where were Hardison and Parker?

"Nate, where do we go next?" Sophie called into his thoughts.

Nate looked at the anguished look in her eyes and down to her now-tattered gold dress. She hadn't slept, or eaten and he knew that the worry she was experiencing over Joshua was possibly all that was keeping her going. Love for a child could do that, he knew that first hand.

"We're going to go with Sterling," he coaxed softly, and when he saw the protest spring to her eyes he quickly added, "He's our best bet to find Joshua. We don't have the resources to do it alone."

Sophie's mouth opened, ready to object but reason settled on her. She knew they were in no position to take on Sonia and her organization as they were.

She closed her mouth and nodded silently. He gently touched her face.

"Did you hear me?" Sterling repeated, as oblivious to Nate and Sophie's exchange as they were to his first statement. "They have a lock on our location from the phone; we're not too far outside of London. They'll be here in ten minutes."

"Good," Nate replied, as he put his arm around Sophie's shoulder and rubbed her arms to keep her warm.

"And…," Sterling continued, "They know Sonia's location."

Sophie went rigid under Nate's warm hand. She turned to him with wide eyes.

"We have to go. She has to tell us where he is," the words rushed out of her chest with barely contained hysteria.

Nate nodded slowly, his mind already calculating the angles.

_One way, or the other, it ends tonight._


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

They changed planes twice and finally arrived at an airport in Los Angeles.

"After we clear Customs, meet me at the North East gate," the beach soldier instructed discreetly before he nonchalantly walked away from Alec and Parker and went into a different line.

When they were alone, Parker looked at Alec quickly and his gaze held hers. He was certain she wanted to say something but she looked away and for a moment a flicker of hope sparked within him. He saw something in her eyes. He was certain.

"If you're asked, you were on vacation," Parker instructed softly. Her tone was businesslike, indifferent. Once again Alec's stomach fell. Maybe he mistook her look of warning for something more.

"Parker…" he called to her softly but even he barely heard the word as it scratched past the dryness of his throat.

'_Stop it,'_ he chided himself_, 'it's done. She's gone_.'

He swallowed thickly to regain his composure in time to see Parker approach the Customs' officer with a seemingly genuine smile.

_She was good,_ he thought sadly as he watched her work her magic on the officer and breeze through the questions. The officer stamped her artificially worn passport and Parker was on her way.

Alec approached the officer's booth and answered the questions with practiced ease. He surprised himself with how well he masked the turmoil within. Years under Sophie's tutelage were not wasted, but he wondered if it was good enough to fool Sonia long enough for him to complete his task.

He held on to the stale smile that curled his lips as the officer stamped his passport and he walked away from the booth and toward the exit leading to their meeting place.

Parker emerged easily from behind a wall as Alec passed it and she kept a steady but unnoticeable pace behind him.

They were all to be as inconspicuous as possible, each keeping up the façade of innocent indifference until they made it to the waiting car at the North Gate exit.

Alec's mind was racing beneath his stoic mask. He went over his plan again and again, trying to think of every contingency. He wanted freedom from the shadow of Sonia that hung over him now, the evil unknown that had kept him holding his breath for the past three years. He wanted to be free of it and he hoped against hope that Nate, Sophie, and Eliot- his family- would be free of it too and Parker would find her real self once again. He wanted them all to be rid of the specter of Sonia.

"There isn't any radio chatter. We're clear," the beach soldier announced as he rolled down the front passenger window as Parker and Alec approached the waiting car.

They both stored their bags and sat stiffly in the back seat.

Alec noticed the dashboard GPS and he saw the projected route to Stevens Street- one block away from the Bilmark hotel.

_The Bilmark._ That was their target, he knew it.

Alec wondered what was happening there. He wondered if Sonia was waiting.

The numbers on the GPS indicated that they had 38 miles to go before they arrived at the Billmark.

Alec did the math- approximately 40 minutes to think his plan through, backwards and forwards.

His heart rate increased but he kept up the look of indifference as he looked absently out window.

As much as he tried though he couldn't ignore the fact that Parker was sitting close enough for him to slide his hand over to hers. Regardless of how much he wanted to touch her he'd never felt as far from her as he did just then.


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Nate watched anxiously as Sophie stood behind Sterling, very nearly leaning on him as she strained over his shoulder. Her entire focus was on the building in front of them- and getting in.

Sonia was there, and Sophie was convinced Joshua was there too.

It was all Nate could have done to get her to eat and change into something warmer and more protective at Sterling's office before they met with the rest of the team to raid the building where they'd tracked Sonia. Nate didn't even consider telling Sophie his concerns about her going on the raid because he knew she would most likely- and quite figuratively, stab him with her stilettos. All he could do at that point was insist that she let the professionals enter the building first and even that he had to really cajole.

As they watched the heavily armed men storm the building on Sterling's orders, Nate felt a rare moment of doubt. He had so many questions. He couldn't remember the last time he'd gotten to this point of a 'job' and he didn't have all of the answers cleverly ready to squeeze the bad guy into submission.

"We're a…go," Sterling announced firmly as he listened to the relay of the team inside the building, "They're holding for us."

Sterling stopped and turned to look at Sophie and Nate, "They have Sonia…she's alone."

Sophie let out a rush of air as though she'd been punched in the stomach but quickly composed herself.

"Let's go," she called softly.

Sterling looked to Nate, and Nate in turn inhaled and exhaled a quick breath before nodding in agreement.

They were going in.


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Alec finally had a moment alone.

Parker and their ever-present guard left him in their prep room to get dressed while they did a quick sweep of the hotel.

He was instructed to dress in the tuxedo for his next task and he obliged although he was curious.

The suit fit him perfectly. Even with its hidden pockets, it draped his athletic frame as though he'd been measured personally.

He wondered fleetingly when Sonia had taken his measurements. Then he wondered if Parker had supplied the figures.

_Parker…_

His mind went over every minute they'd spent together. Her face… her hands… her eyes.

The room was getting too small. He needed air.

He stepped out onto the room's tiny balcony and closed his eyes as he took a deep breath.

He had her back for a minute. He got to look into the eyes that haunted him for three years. He got to hold her, kiss her, tell her how he felt. And even if she didn't remember or didn't really care, he knew that he'd stepped up and he was whole again for a few days. He didn't have any questions or regrets. His love was flesh and blood again.

No matter how the night ended, he had that.

"Hardison."

He spun to find her walking toward the balcony door, her face relaxed, that unmistakable twinkle in her eye- that Parker twinkle. And for a moment he lost his breath.

"Why are you out here? It's freezing," Parker asked as she stood in the balcony's door frame.

"Parker?" Alec stared at her inquiringly, wondering if he was imagining the lightness in her voice.

She stared back at him for just a moment before squeezing the entire left side of her face into an awkward, exaggerated, _so-very-Parker_ wink.

Alec nearly screamed out at the discovery.

"Parker, wha…when…what are you…" he stepped in to her in the balcony door, closing the space between them.

"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you. There wasn't time. I knew from the time he called me TA1 when we resurfaced, it stands for Team Alpha Leader, from the time I heard that I knew that they didn't consider me an enemy. They weren't fully briefed, or something. If they considered us co-conspirators then we would have been separated. If you were my charge then you would go where I went," she smiled a small, apologetic smile, "I couldn't risk them taking you away."

Alec smiled back at her. He wondered if it was possible to love her even more. He stared into her eyes suddenly lost for words. His throat grew tight and all he could manage was a small nod.

"Okay now, please come inside, it's really cold," she urged and stepped into the room to allow him space to enter.

But Alec didn't move. As he stared at her he realized that nothing had really changed. They were still going to die if Sonia didn't get Domino. And, they didn't have Domino to give her.

Alec looked at Parker for a moment without saying a word. He looked at her face, every line, every shimmering surface that the dim hotel light caught and reflected. He would commit that to memory. If he had to choose it would be the last thing he would want to see in this world.

"Parker…" he started but couldn't find the right words to continue.

He stepped into the room and closed the balcony door behind him and the vacuum of silence that fell on them spurred him to go on.

The words weren't right. They would never be. She wouldn't understand. He thought back to the night in the tunnel three years ago when he couldn't get her to leave him to save her own life and he realized walking away was not who she was.

"Parker, look," he approached her and handed her his pen device, "the Domino demo is on here. Hold onto it for me."

"Why are you giving this to me?" Parker asked and Alec could see the questions and concerns beginning to form by the furrowing of her brows.

"I just don't want it getting into anyone else's hands while I'm doing my thing," he hedged lightly. "Our lives depend on this," he added. "Besides, I remember how fond you were of Tasers. Consider this my early 'Plan Completed' gift to you. The charge in this thing can put down an elephant and you don't even have to stand close. It fires the charge, see…." He stepped closer to demonstrate but the door opened and the beach soldier entered the room.

"It's time," the soldier announced as he looked first to Parker, then to Alec.

Parker still stared questioningly at Alec but she said nothing.

Alec turned to the soldier before the man could grow suspicious, "I'm ready."

The soldier focused on Alec, "Good we need to move now." He opened the door wide and stood against it waiting for Alec to walk out ahead of him.

Alec looked quickly at Parker and she returned his stare. He saw the uncertainty in her eyes but he couldn't say anything else without giving away their connection.

"I will go with him," Parker scrambled quickly.

"You have to be downstairs and dressed in 15 minutes; I will take him to his position," the soldier responded firmly.

Parker couldn't argue with the logic. She spared Alec another quick glance but he wasn't looking at her.

He couldn't look at her again. He had his last memory of her face and he'd given her the pen device to use as leverage to secure her freedom. He couldn't say goodbye to Parker.

Even though he just knew he'd never see her again.


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

The tactical team entered Sonia's small, unassuming office first, and then Sterling entered. His gun was drawn as he approached the high back of the large chair that faced them. Nate held Sophie back from entering until he was sure it was safe.

"Sonia Moreau a.k.a. Demara de Castro?" Sterling questioned the back of the chair.

Nothing happened for a moment and he took a step closer.

"I have been ordered, under Sovereign authority, to question you regarding matters of global security."

The hair on Sterling's neck lifted and fell. He pointed the gun at the chair and stepped closer.

"Ms. Moreaux… or de Castro, whichever," he called louder, "turn around, now."

The chair turned slowly until Sonia faced them, unfazed. She was smiling as she lifted a small cup of tea to her lips. As always the smile didn't reach her eyes.

"Mr. Sterling," she announced as if greeting an old friend, "I apologize, I didn't hear you come in."

"Cut the crap, Moreau…de Castro…whatever your real name is," Sterling replied harshly, "You tried to blow me up tonight. We are well past pleasantries."

Sonia's head tilted and shook slightly, "Surely I have no idea what you're referring to, but are you okay?"

Sterling tightened his grip on the handle of the gun and opened his mouth to engage Sonia further but Sophie nearly nudged him out of the way as she barged into the room.

"WHERE IS HE?" Sophie shouted, "where is my child? Where is Joshua?"

Sonia looked down at her desk as she deposited the cup of tea slowly, soundlessly into its saucer.

"There was an accident," she began before she looked up at Sophie once more and the Grifter gasped. "Joshua's father was involved in a car crash in Asia. The child is now an orphan and as executor of his father's will I placed the child with a family of his father's expressed choosing."

Tears sprang to Sophie's eyes and she let out a guttural noise as she grabbed the gun from Sterling's hand and pointed it into Sonia's unblinking face.

"NO MORE GAMES," she shouted as she blinked quickly to free her eyes from the blinding wetness. She was only incrementally aware of the guns trained on her too by the officers in the room and of Sterling instructing them to refocus on Sonia and of Nate rushing in to stand behind her.

Her full focus was locked onto Sonia, the woman who'd done so much damage to her life. Sonia, who'd taken away her child, taken away the man she loved, the family she'd finally found peace with. Sonia, who imprisoned her for three years.

"Do you have any feeling at all for what you've done to me, to us?" Sophie struggled to address any humanity the woman might have even as she felt her own hatred growing harder and colder under the weight of Sonia's indifferent stare.

"Fifty seven," Sonia replied unblinking, her gaze intently focused on Sophie. The Grifter straightened as she tried to process the cryptic answer.

"What?" she questioned.

"You have fifty seven outstanding international warrants. Or should I say fifty seven _serious_ international warrants." Sonia responded haughtily.

"What does…," Sophie began, but Sonia shifted in her seat and Sophie paused and adjusted to hold the gun with both hands.

Sonia didn't flinch, "Why should you, of all people, be allowed to raise a child when you obviously have no regard for the rules and regulations that govern a society?"

Nate perked at her words; the wheels in his head began to churn at break neck pace.

Sophie couldn't believe what she was hearing, "Are you lecturing me?" She could feel herself on the verge of hysterical laughter but she thought if she gave in to it she might pull the trigger as her punch line. "I will ask you one more time- where is my son?"

"The child is safe and cared for. He will grow to know rules and he won't be a selfish deviant who cares more about satisfying his own wants and urges than he does about the greater good of mankind." Sonia's eyes flashed for just an instant as she addressed Sophie and Nate smiled as he got his confirmation. The Scientist's carefully presented façade was beginning to crack and the pieces of the story were beginning to fall into place.

Sophie ground her teeth and stepped closer to Sonia, her finger tightening on the trigger but Nate quickly stepped in front of the gun and faced Sophie.

"She's right Soph, we have to look at the bigger picture," Nate urged softly.

Hot, new tears sprang into Sophie's eyes. Nate could see the betrayal she felt, "You never believed he was our son and now that she all but confirmed that he is you still won't fight for him?"

Nate's chest hurt from the pain he felt reflected in Sophie's eyes.

She released the gun into his hands and quietly left the room.

Sterling watched the scene unfold but only stepped forward after Sophie left.

"If the boy isn't here," Sterling whispered urgently, "we have to take her in to be interrogated."

Nate looked at Sonia in time to see her depositing her tea cup back onto its saucer.

'_She was too calm,'_ Nate thought to himself. It was as though this was all a part of her plan; which meant that whatever she was planning was already taking place.

"It's too late for that, Sterling," Nate offered stoically, never taking his eyes off of Sonia.

"Isn't it, Demara?" he directed the question to the deceptively calm woman.

She sat further back in her large chair, assessing him silently.

The tilt of her head was her only reply.


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

The soldier deposited Alec in a room two floors beneath the lobby of the hotel and told him that there was where he was to wait until further instructions were relayed.

Alec knew something was about to happen but he couldn't do anything but play along until he knew where Sonia was. He sat in the room going over his plan again, questioning whether he was making the right call, thinking of Parker and the look she gave him as he left the room, knowing he'd never see her again.

He needed a distraction, something- anything- to focus his anxious energy.

He turned on the television hoping to lose the extra thoughts to something mundane like the weather channel but instead the news came on. The volume was muted but as Alec stood there transfixed on the anchor's mime and the photo caption just above her left shoulder, a leaded feeling settled in Alec's stomach.

'_Senator Richard Andrew Sinclaire: Fundraiser at the Billmark Hotel.' _

Alec read the close captions that popped up in small yellow type at the bottom to the screen.

'_Senator Sinclaire will be the guest of honor tonight at a fundraiser being held at the Billmark hotel. Unconfirmed reports indicate that the event is the first in a series geared toward rousing the Senator's followers as he prepares for a run for the presidential elections in two years. With the many notables in attendance and the rumored sponsorship by The Hastings' Institute, Senator Sinclaire's political aspirations are becoming clearer by the day. _

_And now for tonight's weather….'_

'That was it,' Alec thought to himself, 'that has to be it. We're here because of that fundraiser.'

His anxiety spiked as he thought of possible reasons that they would be involved. He thought back to the night at Hastings Institute and every twist and turn thereafter but he couldn't see the straight lines. Everything just seemed to keep looping back on itself.

The oxygen thinned. Alec's chest began to shrink. He attempted to stand but the dizziness increased.

'Okay, calm down,' he coaxed himself but his heartbeat accelerated.

'Something's wrong,' he thought as he lay back on the bed, his breaths shallowed and his vision blurred. He clutched his chest as the ache increased from the oxygen deprivation. It was so painful that he couldn't even scream.

'Dammit, not yet,' his panicked mind cried out.

And then he thought of Parker.

His heartbeat started slowing. Slower…slower...


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Their eyes held. The Mastermind and the Scientist.

"Please don't think that you know me, Nathan Ford," Sonia initiated, "I'm well versed in your cat and mouse, Sherlock Holmes routine."

Nate's eyebrows arched. "I would never presume to know who you are or what motives you," he challenged, "but, I would imagine that it must have been hard seeing your father killed by Franco's forces while he was toasted and championed by the US and other countries throughout the world."

Sonia's eyes flashed for a moment. Her face hardened briefly before she forced composure.

She took a quick deep breath, "You are good, Nathan Ford. That information is not public knowledge. It doesn't exist anywhere."

"But the Nuns made sure that I excelled in math, history, and geography," Nate responded, "and you pissed off a computer genius. He has everything there is to have on you; I just filled in the blanks."

Sonia nodded and interlocked her fingers, "Yes, your criminal club." She used the term mockingly.

"You have a real hatred for rule breakers," Nate questioned, "I'm guessing your father was a stickler for rules too, right?"

Sonia didn't answer.

"And then this 'military bully' comes in, breaks every rule, takes over a country and the world applauds him." He stopped to gauge her reaction.

"It must have been very difficult. You must have felt so helpless."

He stopped again.

"I'm sure your father stood his ground…"

"STOP TALKING ABOUT MY FATHER," Sonia yelled, slamming her hands on her desk. "You have no right to talk about him. My father was a far better man than you by leaps and bounds."

The careful façade had cracked. Nate would use it to his advantage.

Sonia took a quick breath and smoothed the front of her blazer as she tried to settle herself, "I think I have been more than gracious at this intrusion but I will have to insist that you leave my office now."

"We can't do that Ms. Moreau," Sterling answered.

"You have no evidence that suggests I've been involved in any criminal activity."

"No but we have something that we, in the law enforcement game call, Probable Cause," Sterling countered.

"Well," Sonia looked pointedly at Sterling, "that would be all well and good if we were in the US. Probable Cause is not a European construct."

"Well," Sterling mocked, "the warrant was initiated in the US and seeing that I am and officer with Interpol and seeing that your 'alleged' crimes are a threat to global security, and seeing that the British have a splendid extradition treaty with the US, I believe it is all…um…how you say… _well and good_."

Sonia froze for a moment, her indifference holding. Then she sat back in her chair.

"Do you have any idea who controls your fate?" she began, "a gaggle of blood thirsty, incompetent, immoral, sycophants."

"Your point," Nate countered impatiently.

"One good man can make a difference," Sonia huffed before sitting back in her seat.

A light bulb went off in Nate's head.

"That's it," he turned to Sterling, "that's it."

He turned back to Sonia, "Is that what you're doing, you're creating your own 'good man' to change the world?"

Sonia remained quiet but Nate knew he'd finally figured it out.

"That's what this was all about, your father was a good man killed by an unjust one, who changed the course of a country's history. You see the only way to influence real change is to be one of these men… or, to control one of them."

"So you hire my team as a rouse," he continued, "You didn't want us for the job you initially hired us for. You wanted to divide, conquer, and utilize; everyone serving a purpose in your grand scheme. Put a man in the White House."

More of the plan unraveled in his thoughts as he spoke to her, "Oh and you would keep the other nations in line by having Domino at your disposal…" Nate shook his head at the simple, yet arrogant brilliance of her plan. He had to admit he was more than a little impressed. "You must have been planning this for a very, very long time."

"No," Sonia finally answered. Her voice soft but firm, "This was not what I wanted. I am a scientist. I wanted to save lives, build futures. But everywhere I turned people were using my work, my good work, for evil, destructive things and I realized how very powerless I really was."

She took a breath and gazed into the gloss of her desk, "I stood there and watched as they killed my father and I did nothing but soil myself. I never wanted to feel that powerless again… but every time I watched the news of some country being invaded, I thought of the children there who were forced to watch their parents die and I felt that powerless feeling again."

Nate was speechless.

"There are other ways you can make change happen," Sterling chastised.

"What," Sonia challenged, "by volunteering at a soup kitchen, by mentoring a child, by running for city council? What did you have in mind Mr. Sterling? Because those small acts mean nothing if the people who really make the decisions can be bought and sold wholesale by anyone with any agenda."

"So you make yourself Grand Emperor of the World?!" Nate chimed in.

Sonia exhaled an exasperated breath, "You may not agree with my methods Mr. Ford, but my end will justify my means."

"Why _my_ team? What did you do to Parker?" Nate ground the words between his teeth.

"_You_ and _your team_, came to my attention when you brought Damian Moreau to justice," she paused and looked pointedly at Nate, "He is my ex-husband's son. A deviant in his own right."

"I noticed the very particular skill set of your band of crooks and I realized that you could be useful. Repay your debt to society, so to speak."

Nate shook his head at her arrogance, "and what about Parker? What exactly did you do to her?"

"Ms. Parker, has merely been subject to some superficial behavior modification."

Nate's eye brows perked, "that's bull and you know it."

"I have no reason to lie Mr. Ford," Sonia countered with a slight spark of frustration, "Parker suffered serious psychological damage as a child. All that I've done is repurpose the rage and identity ambivalence that she suppresses. I removed the barriers that she uses to keep herself safe and unaffected. The Parker you are exposed to now is the Parker she would have been if her mind didn't have to put so much energy into being the carefree, childlike person you have come to know."

"Why," Nate asked genuinely curious, "why would you…."

Then the answer hit him like a lightning bolt and he was rendered silent by the implication of the realization.

He looked at Sonia and he swore he saw the shadow of a smile on her lips.

"Parker wasn't your target, she was your leverage," he breathed the words, "You knew he would do anything for her."

A sudden sickness twisted his stomach.

"What are you going to do to him?" Nate asked a sense of immediate dread running over him and making him cold.

Sonia didn't answer.

Nate stepped to her desk and towered over her menacingly, "what have you done to him?"

Sonia looked up at him unflinching, nearly gloating. "He was chosen because he was the least corrupt of you all. He was the purest- if there is such a thing. It is an honor not bestowed lightly."

Nate's face crumpled in derision, "You are crazy."

"Perhaps," Sonia leaned back into her chair, "but I am making a difference for the greater good. Can you say the same?"

Commotion in his periphery caught his attention.

Sterling approached him and angled to whisper in his ear, "We have intel that Hastings Institute is hosting a presidential fundraiser tonight in Los Angeles."

"Dammit…" Nate whispered, "Hardison."


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

Parker put on the red dress as she'd been told to do. It was long, and beautiful, and terribly impractical.

She pinned her hair into a bun, looking into the mirror as she did.

As she looked at herself, a strange feeling visited her. It felt like a memory or a yearning, she couldn't tell. But she felt Alec's hands around her waist, kissing her cheek as he stood behind her.

The pores rose over her entire body. She sensed it immediately.

_Something was wrong. _

Parker reached for the pen devise and kicked off the red satin heels that were part of her assigned outfit, and pushed her feet back into her boots. She grabbed the handle of the door and yanked it with such force that she bruised the palm of her hand when the stubborn lock didn't give.

She tried again and then realized that the door was locked from the outside. She was trapped.

_Something was definitely wrong. _

She looked down at the pen device in her hand and remembered Alec's words. She remembered the strangeness of his tone.

_He's going to do something. _

Fresh urgency spurred her to move. She looked up to the ceiling and saw no way out. Then she looked to the balcony. She grabbed the covers off of the bed and ran out tying both of the edges as she went.

She tied one edge of the sheet to the wrought iron balcony railing and hung the other end off of the side. Then she gathered up her dress and expertly made her way down.

From her earlier room sweep she knew which rooms were vacant and which weren't. She had a viable option for an unnoticed entry just two floors below but the biting cold and her wardrobe made the trip doubly difficult. She spared only a fleeting thought to anyone seeing or chasing her, her only thought was to get to Alec as quickly as she could.

She swung onto the balcony, her arms aching with cold and the exertion of her climb. She was cursing her dress as she gathered it up and looked through the glass door into the darkened room. There was no one inside. She opened the locked balcony door with ease and crossed the room quickly to the front door. She had a moment's apprehension as she touched the knob; she was unarmed, unprepared, and uninformed. She had no idea what was going on beyond that door.

But she realized that it didn't matter. She had to get to Alec.

She opened the door and looked left and right before stepping out into the dim hallway.

A foreign feeling of panic covered her like a thin mist. Her hands felt unsteady and her ears felt hot as the sound of the blood rushing in her veins filled her head.

_Alec, where are you? _

She walked down the hallway, her focus locked on the stairwell exit.

She had to get to him.

He could be anywhere.

_Dammit, Alec. Don't do anything stupid…please._

Parker was saying her silent prayer when an arm reached out from the corner just before the stairwell.

The arm shot out like an arrow across Parker's chest and grabbed for her shoulder but her reflexes sprang awake and she dodged the arm and grabbed it instead. Her assailant was male and very strong but she used his considerable strength against him and swung his arm up as she prepared to jab at the center of his face. He was too quick though and stepped back to avoid her strike. He grabbed her wrist and held it.

"PARKER," the gravelly voice barked and Parker stopped her struggle.

The face was vaguely familiar. She pulled her arms free from his grasp.

"Who are you?" she challenged.

He looked at her incredulously, "Parker, it's me, Eliot."

Her memory clicked at the name.

'_Frequent collaborators…Eliot Spencer_.' His deadly serious photo-face staring back at her from the computer screen in Alec's underground bunker.

"Eliot," she breathed, a mix of relief and slowly-forming understanding. "What are…" she began.

"Where's Hardison," he interrupted.

_Hardison…Alec…_

The urgency flared in her again.

"I don't know but I have to find him. He's going to do something," she replied and made to turn away from her new, old acquaintance.

He held her arm again to stop her. And again she yanked it away.

"Would you stop trying to grab me," she asked calmly although the wide stare said otherwise.

"Look," Eliot snapped before softening his tone, "there are guards all over this place, and the way you're sneaking I take it you don't want them to see you."

Parker nodded in concession and began looking around for an alternative way to get to the upper floors, where she believed Hardison had been sequestered.

"Follow me," Eliot offered and stooped down to open a small hatch door that blended so seamlessly with the wall, Parker didn't notice it before.

She hesitated for a minute, wondering if she should trust the less-than-sociable stranger.

"C'MON PARKER," he barked as he crawled into the small space, and she startled.

It felt oddly familiar; his unyieldingly harsh tones, his furrowed eyes, his grizzled demeanor. She was certain she knew him. And so she followed him into the dark and narrow tunnel which he illuminated with a flashlight held between his teeth.

They didn't have to go too far before he pushed open another small hatch and jumped down into a very small room not too much wider than a coat closet.

Parker looked around the room to find that it was indeed a closet and saw a small black rucksack sitting beneath a hole in the wall with an eerie blue light spilling in. She went to the light and pressed one eye to the wall to see the source. Three walls of security monitors that captured every corner of the Bilmark hotel on video were the emitters of the light.

"That's how I knew where you were," Eliot offered.

Parker turned to him, "Where did you come from and what are you doing here?"

Eliot thought back to his shortened plane ride. How he'd _'communicated'_ his change of heart to the pilot and his two escorts. How he'd contacted a friend of his who worked in the area that was his original target and alerted him that an assassination attempt was being planned and that there may be more than one hired gun. How he'd gotten information in return about a political announcement that was about to take place at the Bilmark, and its connection to Hastings. How he _'requested'_ the pilot land just outside of Nevada. How he snuck into the city and into the hotel and chose the closet next to the security room because Hardison taught him it was the least conspicuous way to have eyes and ears on what was going on. How he saw Parker on the monitor and felt a surge of joy and dread that she was there because while he was thrilled beyond belief that she was there, her presence confirmed his thoughts about Sonia's motives.

"It's a long story," he finally answered, "Where was the last place you saw Hardison? We have to get out of here."

"He's at the meeting room," she told him then stopped. "What do you know? Have you spoken to him? Did he tell you what he's planning?"

Eliot looked at her closely, "I haven't seen Hardison in three years."

Parker froze.

"…or you," he added.

"We were close," she asked softly, hesitantly, genuinely curious.

Eliot smiled sadly then shook his head, "you drove me nuts."

Parker smiled back and knew the answer; they were, "sorry."

Eliot looked at her for a moment and it was enough. It gave him peace. He and Parker had an understanding that was different from anything he had with the others. Their edges were tougher, perhaps because their cores were so soft beneath it all.

"Where was the meeting room," he asked, ending their reacquainting moment.

"The room is on the fifth floor," Parker answered before she stooped back at the peephole.

"He's not on the fifth floor," Eliot answered matter-of-factly.

Parker swung around to look at him, "That was the designated room," she answered, her eyes pinched in confusion.

"Well someone changed the plan," he stated flatly, "The fifth floor is the security nerve center. There are no occupied rooms. No one would plan to meet on that floor. It's inconvenient, too much of a risk."

Parker knew he was right. Sonia wouldn't meet where there would be potential disturbances. "So where is he?" she asked out loud as she pressed her eye to the hole again.

She didn't have to search for very long.

"Alec…" she gasped.

"Where?" Eliot snapped.

"Dining hall," she answered, then turned to look at Eliot with wide eyes, "he has a gun."


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

"_There will be a time of reckoning, a time to grieve, a time to shout triumph, a time to link our arms with our comrades, and lift our collective spirits and claim our victories as we walk the fields of the fallen, ours and those of our enemies," Sonia's sole answer to his questions infuriated Nate even as it confused him._

"_What have you done to them?" Nate asked her again as he glowered down at her._

* * *

><p>Parker tore out of the closet door with Eliot hot on her trail. They headed straight for the exit to the stairwell, not thinking or planning. There was no time.<p>

* * *

><p>"<em>You each served your purpose. You should be please. You've balanced out all of the destruction you've caused," Sonia persisted.<em>

"_She's not going to give you a straight answer," Sterling called over Nate's shoulder._

"_Is he at the Bilmark?" Nate asked Sterling without taking his eyes off of Sonia._

"_I alerted the security there to be on high alert and they haven't reported any incidents," Sterling answered but the anxious tightening in Nate's stomach told him otherwise. _

"_Something's happening there tonight," he countered, "tell them to keep on the lookout."_

* * *

><p>They took the stairs two at a time and Parker burst through the lobby door first. She attempted to run straight toward the dining hall before Eliot held her arm and stopped her.<p>

"You won't get through there," he assured her, indicating the three suited sentries guarding the door.

He pulled her into a nearby door labeled 'Authorized Personnel Only'. She followed him through the galley and past a few offices where they grabbed an apron and kitchen smock to disguise themselves. They made their way unnoticed to the service hallways along the dining hall and Parker slipped the smock off and eased effortlessly into the room teeming with exquisitely dressed people and the expectant hum of conversation about what the night would yield.

Then she saw him, Alec, with a look on his face unlike anything she'd ever seen in their short time together. He looked inhumanly still.

She eased her way over to him and noticed that he was staring at the front of the hall where the dignitaries were supposed to sit.

Her heart began hammering as the realization dawned. This was a sanctioned assassination. And Alec would be the one to carry out the attempt.

* * *

><p>"<em>I've known that kid for close to ten years and he's not capable of hurting anyone if that's your end game," Nate challenged.<em>

"_We never know what we're capable of when we're repurposed," Sonia answered smugly._

"_So you brainwashed him," Nate spat._

"_Nothing so primitive, I assure you," Sonia answered calmly and sat back in her chair, "He is my masterpiece. I lost him for a while but I knew he'd return. And he did. It was destined."_

"_Nate, there's still no sign of any trouble at Bilmark and Sinclaire's about to enter. They won't cancel," Sterling updated him. _

"_It is all for the greater good. He will be remembered," Sonia said finally and Nate's eyes burned._

* * *

><p>Parker reached the side lounge where Alec had been standing alone but just as she was about to approach him the dining hall doors opened and everyone stood and applauded as the guest of honor, Sinclaire, prepared to enter.<p>

Alec began walking toward Sinclaire and his entourage. Parker couldn't catch him through the throng.

Out of nowhere Eliot was at her side and helped clear a path.

"We have to stop him," she called to Eliot, "If he pulls his gun, they will shoot to kill. Sonia's controlling him somehow."

The panic was pushing her on almost as firmly as it was stiffening her limbs.

Alec was nearly to Sinclaire, and the closer they got to the center of the room the thicker the crowd grew. The panic was rising, choking Parker as it sat in her throat. She could hear the rushing blood in her head again.

She felt a surge push her forward. She was almost within grabbing distance.

"GUN," she heard a voice yell at her left. Then a cacophony of screams rang out filling the cavernous dining hall with echoing screams and unbound chaos.

She looked over and saw Eliot to her left. He was the alarmist.

All hell broke loose.

The security crouched Sinclaire low and tried to usher him out as the push of panicked diner attendees fell over themselves trying to escape the perceived threat. And Alec's focus remained squarely on Sinclaire as the crowd swallowed him up and Parker lost her opportunity to grab him, getting caught up in the crush herself.

The wave took her as far as the lobby before she was able to move under her own power once again.

It was there that she saw Alec moving toward a side exit.

She pushed, punched, and strong-armed her way over to the exit, and as she breathlessly tumbled through the exit door.

Alec was moving steadily toward Sinclaire and his guards as they hurried toward the garage.

She had to act fast. If the guards turned and saw him, they'd aim to kill. She couldn't risk him getting shot. She couldn't fix a fatally administered gun shot.

She just needed him to stop his advance.

Without another thought she fished the pen device out of her pocket and aimed it at Alec's back. Then she pressed the button like he showed her.

She didn't feel the charge when it sprang free from the device. She didn't even see it.

But she saw when Alec stopped moving.

He froze and then he fell.

The air left Parker's chest and didn't return.

She felt Eliot run past her and lift Alec against him throwing the unconscious Hacker's arm over his shoulder as he made his way away from the main thoroughfare.

"Parker," Eliot called and snapped her back to attention.

She self-consciously stashed the pen device and followed them.

"There's going to be a hell storm of Intelligence raining on this place. We have to get out of here now," he informed her.

Parker could barely hear what he was saying though, her eyes fixed on Alec's face and the lifelessness she saw there.

They carried Alec to the car park and were not at all out of place among the groups of shell-shocked people milling about looking for their cars and companions.

They both spotted a conversion van close to the kitchen's exit emblazoned with the logo of the event's caterers.

The doors were opened and Eliot eased Alec into the spacious belly of the van while he made his way up front to try starting the vehicle without keys.

Parker eased into the van next to Alec.

The blood was rushing in her head again.

She reached out to touch him.

He was warm but so still.

She reached to check the pulse at his wrist and felt…nothing.

She bit her lips and felt the first tear slip down her cheek.

She reached to check the pulse at his neck. She felt…nothing.

_No._

She bit her lips harder and tasted the slight copper tang of her blood.

_No. Please…_

A small sob built up in her chest and force itself out of her clamped mouth.

_Alec…Please…_

She leaned in and pressed her ear against his chest.

There was nothing.

The tears from her left eye ran across the bridge of her nose and joined with the tears of her right.

She couldn't move. The weight of the rushing blood in her head kept her pinned to his chest.

She closed her eyes.

_Please…Please…Please… Alec. Please…_

She laid herself flat beside him, her head still against his chest. She reached for his hand and as she did a rush of memories flooded her mind at once.

His beautiful smile. Playfully hugging him as he worked on his computer. Watching him do his happy dance whenever he'd proven once again that he was the smartest one in the room. His unlimited supplies of Gummy Frog candy and Orange soda. The warmth of his arms when he would dance with her; the space felt carved for her alone.

He was her home.

And there were other memories too- Nate, Sophie, Eliot. Their lives together. She remembered small glimpses of what used to be.

_Please, Alec…Please…_

The hopelessness opened inside of her like a black hole, she couldn't will her head to leave his chest.

And that was the way Eliot found her when they were finally far enough that he could pull over.

He opened the van's side door and found them side by side, Parker's empty, unblinking stare fixed on a point beyond his shoulder, and Alec's eyes still closed, looking as though he no longer belonged to this world.

Eliot reached to check both of their pulses.

He felt sick.

He raked his hands through his hair as he turned away and tried to steady his swimming thoughts and the emotion that threatened to overwhelm him.

But he mistakenly spared both their faces another glance and he was undone.

He fell to his knees oblivious to the flashing, red lights of the vehicle approaching them.


	48. Chapter 48

**Thank you all so much for reading and following this story. **

**To my Story Buddies: Zee Zee Magee, Chiguy, Ghee Buttersnapps, Koxie, Laurellilly and any and everyone else who read this story and stayed with it until the end. Thank you so much. **

**I sincerely hope you enjoy the wrap up to this part of the story. **

* * *

><p>Chapter 48<p>

"Give him a break, Soph," Nate encouraged, as he and his newly-minted fiancé watched their young friend busily pounding his computer keyboard, reviewing page after page of information.

"It's too soon for him to be working so hard," she urged quietly.

"He needs this," Eliot chimed in coming up behind them, "he's been going crazy for the past four months wondering where she is."

"I know what he's feeling," Nate added thoughtfully, and reached over to take Sophie's hand.

She smiled and leaned her head into him so that their foreheads touched. "I know," she conceded as she looked over to the couch where Joshua was quietly coloring, finally taking a break from his and Eliot's building block game. "I just don't want him to push himself too hard and have to go back to the hospital."

Eliot shook his head, "Don't worry. I'll put him in a sleeper hold myself before I let that happen." He turned to head into the kitchen, "he just needs to focus on something besides missing her," he added finally before he disappeared behind the kitchen wall.

Sophie sighed and nodded as she headed over to help Joshua color. Nate remained at his post, leaning against it and staring at the hacker's back. He exhaled a soft sigh.

It was amazing that they were all back together again. Well…almost all of them.

_**Four months before**_

Los Angeles

Not even the ambulance's whirring, red lights could demand Eliot's attention.

_Neither of them had a pulse._

_They were dead. _

They were both dead. And he didn't want to fight, or escape, or try anything. For one moment he wanted to just be still.

"This is what I get for giving a damn," he silently questioned the universe. They were dead. He finally got them back only to watch them die? What the hell kind of justice is that?

"Eliot Spencer?" the EMT asked warily as he jumped out of the truck.

Eliot raised his head slowly. Maybe he could make one exception. If this guy turned out to be one of Sonia's he was going to get one hell of a beating.

"Are you Mr. Spencer," the EMT froze in his advance as a menacing shadow crossed Eliot's face, "we were sent after you by Director Sterling of Interpol."

Eliot stiffened expectantly. _If this was a trick…_

"We were told that you would be in need medical assistance," the EMT persisted and Eliot's head tilted down and to the right as he eyed the nervous man. "We were told to attend to Mr. Hardison."

Eliot remained still for a quick moment, then he nodded his head once and dejectedly indicated where the tech could find Hardison.

'_There was no hope,' _Eliot thought to himself_, 'they were both gone.'_

The EMT rushed passed Eliot and into the van's side door, followed quickly by another tech who'd watched silently as the entire scene played out. He made a wide circle around the slouching hitter and entered the van.

Each of the techs took charge of the care of the seemingly lifeless pair.

The first tech that entered the van lifted Parker gently off of Alec and proceeded to take her pulse and heart rate with a stethoscope as the other eased next to Alec and took his.

"It's faint but it's there," the first tech called as he reached for the oxygen mask to place over Parker's mouth and nose.

"Nothing here," the second called after a moment before he stuck his head half out of the van. "How long has he been out," the tech asked Eliot.

Eliot stood quickly and walked to the van's side door. A small hope sprang to life inside of him.

"About 10- 15 minutes. Are they alive?" he eagerly questioned.

"I'm not getting a heartbeat here," the tech answered as he reached into his equipment bag for the portable defibrillator, "but we were told that he may have been in heart arrest."

"What?" Eliot asked, taken aback, "by who?"

"Director Sterling," the tech distractedly answered as he busied himself opening Alec's shirt and attaching the defibrillator's floppy pads.

"We need to get these two to the hospital," the other tech announced as he continued his chest compressions on Parker.

The tech who was working on Alec nodded his head in agreement.

"Hey, could you help grab the gurney from the back of the rig," he non-too-politely asked for Eliot's help as the second tech jumped out of the van.

The hitter didn't hesitate though, he ran to help retrieve the gurney praying that the effort was worthwhile and that the medical intervention would be able to bring his friends back to life.

_**Two hours before**_

London

"Take a look at this," one of Sterling's officers called the images to his attention as he lifted the camera and began to scroll, "this setup is in one of the rooms downstairs, it's some kind of control center."

Sterling's eyes widened, "is that what I think it is?" he enquired as he took the camera from the officer and made his way over to Nate.

"Look at these," he offered Nate the camera and Nate stared at the images with rapt attention, more of the story clicking into place in his mind with every swipe.

"That's how you did it," he whispered more to himself than to anyone else in the room. Then he turned his attention to Sonia, "You put machines into them?!" he asked incredulously, a small, savage anger beginning to churn.

Sonia stared back at him without answering.

An urgent thought occurred to Nate. He turned to Sterling, "Get a medical team to the Bilmark. She's going to kill them," the intensity of his tone as he correctly guessed Sonia's plans froze everyone in the room.

"What…" Sterling began but Nate interrupted him.

"…the plan is falling apart, she has no alternative but to put as much distance between herself and Hardison and Parker as possible," he surmised, "her failsafe is their silence. Isn't that right?" Nate stared squarely at Sonia and she stared silently back.

He turned back to Sterling, "advise the medical team that Alec might need to be… resuscitated, or something….just advise them that he might need a lot of help."

Sterling simply nodded to an officer behind him who immediately pressed his comm link to call in instructions for medical teams in Los Angeles to be dispatched to the Bilmark.

Another officer entered the room and walked straight to Sterling, "We just received intell that there was supposed to be an attempt on the Emir's life yesterday but it was preempted."

Sterling digested the information.

"…but the strange thing is that the Trigger was the one who alerted ground forces," the officer continued.

"Do we have any specs on the Trigger man?" Sterling asked although he somehow knew the answer.

"No, but we think he's Black Ops. The news emanated from one region down there and those guys are all Black Ops, they only trust their own."

Sterling smiled as his eyes met Nate's, "Yes, and they're the only ones who could have pulled this off and kept it so hush-hush." He shook his head and nearly laughed out loud, "That cheeky bastard. He's still alive."

Nate smiled too and felt a little relief. Eliot was alive and up to his old tricks. Another piece of the puzzle fell into place.

Then he thought if Eliot thwarted his assignment, he had to have another agenda. _Hardison and Parker_, Nate concluded, and somehow knew Eliot would find a way to get to them.

"Sterling, you should probably warn the medical team to identify themselves and drop your name… Eliot might be with them."

Sterling nodded, understanding Nate's reference instantly. He pressed the Comm in his ear, "…warn the medics that they should approach with caution. A man named Eliot Spencer might be with them, and he's not one to ask many questions."

"So that was your plan," Nate's gaze pierced Sonia, "use them to cause political upheaval and you would swoop in and be the one with all the answers…and all the power."

Sonia defiantly angled her chin toward Nate. She stubbornly remained silent.

"I know where Joshua is," Sophie stormed the room, a thick manila folder in her hand. "He's with people he's never met," she offered Nate breathlessly. He could see the night's tension had her frayed around the edges.

"You heartless, crazy…" Sophie made to lunge at Sonia but Nate grabbed her around her waist and pulled her back, "HE'S A LITTLE BOY. HE'S ALONE, HE'S SCARED, AND YOU GAVE HIM TO COMPLETE STRANGERS?!"

Sonia flinched slightly, leaning quickly out of Sophie's reach, "That couple was well vetted and are far superior candidates to raise a decent human being than you are," she retorted icily.

Sophie shrugged herself roughly out of Nate's arms and glared at him then at Sonia. She took a deep breath to regain her composure then straightened her coat, "Well…be that as it may, I am going to get my child…." She leaned closer to the desk and focused her stare into Sonia with such intensity that Sonia was forced by the energy to recede into her chair, "And if you ever touch, or go near to him ever again…" Sophie stopped and stared unblinkingly at Sonia.

The message transmitted.

Sophie turned on her heel and walked out but Nate caught her arm as she bended the corner.

"Soph," he called and she spun to face him.

"What, Nate? Are you going to tell me to stop, to wait? Are you going to tell me that I'm crazy and…"

Nate grabbed her shoulders and she fell silent under his gaze.

"I'm sorry," he said softly.

Sophie just stared at him, dumbfounded.

"I should have been more supportive, more interested, more...," Nate continued, "I just didn't know how to process…I just… needed time."

Sophie knew the confession had to have been a difficult one for Nate of offer.

She nodded her acceptance, her eyes softened as she forgave him. She allowed that it was no easy thing for him to readily accept and vowed to herself to give him the time he needed.

"Okay," the word was small but held her forgiveness, and understanding, "I think you should stay and help sort this situation out. If I run into any problems I'll call."

Nate hesitated. He didn't want her to go alone, but he knew she wouldn't be stopped or even postponed. And the situation with Sonia was at such a volatile point. He smiled in surrender, "Okay. Go steal our kid," he urged playfully and she smiled in return before she quickly perched on her toes to give him a kiss.

Sophie clutched the manila folder to her chest and turned to walk out of the building, two of the Interpol officers falling in accompanying step behind her as she exited.

Nate watched as she got into the back of the officers' car and said a silent prayer as she drove off. The building was crawling with agents and officers, dissecting every inch of Sonia's operation; he knew where every member of his team was; Sonia's plan to throw the world into chaos had been thwarted; Sophie was going for Joshua; things were in his favor for the first time in ages. But he still knew he wouldn't be able to have an easy breath until he saw all of their faces together again and each of them safe and sound.


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49

Los Angeles

"What do you mean, _she disappeared_?" Sophie whispered urgently as she stared between Eliot's and Nate's concerned faces.

"Just what we said," Eliot's raspy whisper filling the space between the three of them as they stood in the middle of the hospital hallway, "…she up and left a couple of hours ago."

"Nearly as soon as she regained consciousness," Nate added.

Sophie dropped heavily onto the nearby chair, next to Joshua who was sound asleep and cloaked beneath Nate's jacket.

"Is she alright, even?" Sophie asked, looking up at Nate and Eliot with pleading eyes, desperately needing good news. "I mean is she back to herself?"

"The doctors couldn't tell us," Nate answered again, "she basically opened her eyes and left."

Sophie sighed heavily and rolled her head backward. "Do we even know where to begin looking for her?" she asked softly.

Eliot shook his head.

Nate sat beside her and massaged her shoulders, "We don't know what's going on in Parker's head right now. She's been through a lot in the past few years. Maybe she just needs to decompress…" He straightened and looked into the room directly across from where they were sitting and stared at Hardison's unconscious body lying there, "Besides he's the one with the best chance of finding her."

"What if…" Sophie started to ask but couldn't bring herself to finish the thought. They were too close to the finish line to bring negative thoughts into the equation. _Hardison __would__ regain consciousness. They __would__ find Parker._

"I'll stay tonight," Eliot announced after the silence stretched too long, "It's late. I think Skip's knocked out," he looked at Joshua's tiny body curled under the jacket.

Sophie and Nate looked at their son and then at each other. It all still felt new and strange, and terribly contradictory. They were several days removed from that eventful night of unraveling all of Sonia's misdeeds, then they'd flown to Los Angeles to be close to Alec and Parker as they recovered, yet there were moments when an irrational anxiety would course through each of their bodies. They were happy, yet sad; at peace, yet still on edge. Joshua was theirs- the tests confirmed his parentage, yet neither Nate nor Sophie had fully accepted it. Sophie still slept in spurts of ten minutes at a time, waking with a start to ensure that her baby was still asleep in the bed she'd tucked him into. And, on more than one occasion, Nate was startled by the presence of the tiny face staring at him with the eyes so much like his own. He would forget-wholly- that the child was there, and his. It would be a process, but one they were both learning more about every day and grateful for the chance that they'd been given to do so.

"Okay," Nate accepted Eliot's offer. He stood and gathered Joshua into his arms, "I'll be back at nine tomorrow morning. I have a phone call with Sterling at seven."

"Sterling?" Eliot repeated, his hackles rising immediately.

"Just calling to discuss some of the fallout from Sonia's scheme," Nate disclosed nonchalantly.

"Oh…" Eliot persisted but Sophie stood up between them before they could continue.

"Please boys, no shop talk tonight," Sophie announced firmly, "You guys can talk about this ad nauseam tomorrow, like you always do. I just want to get Joshua home now."

Nate nodded his agreement and then nodded at Eliot to signal his 'goodnight' before he turned and headed down the hallway.

Sophie offered a small smile and a wink to Eliot before touching her cheek to his as she said goodnight. As she was pulling away though, he felt her startle and heard her gasp and the ever-ready soldier in him perked to attention.

"HARDISON…" Sophie half yelled, half exhaled, as she peered into the room where the hacker's eyes focused weakly, but definitively, on them.

Sophie and Eliot rushed into the room and Nate shuffled back up the hallway, holding Joshua tightly as he did.

They crowded around Alec's bed and began calling to him to gauge his awareness. Sophie pressed the button to summon the nurses.

Alec simply stared with half-closed, heavy-lidded eyes.

The medical team arrived with fanfare, loud and busy and ready to poke, prod and pull him back fully into the land of the living. They read his monitors, checked his stats, tracked their lights in his eyes and halted his pain drip. Then a pair of nurses removed his breathing tube.

Alec gagged, and sputtered. His half-closed eyes sprang wide. He heaved and took quick breaths with lungs too tired, it seemed, to open themselves fully. Then his eyes refocused on Nate, Sophie, and Eliot and he shaped the only thought in his head into a word.

"…Parker?"

His voice was hoarse and horribly ragged, and his throat burned like he'd swallowed lava but he asked again, and again.

"Parker?... Parker?"

Finally Sophie angled around the nurses and stood next to his bed close enough to touch his hand to calm him.

"Parker is alive," Sophie whispered quickly and it was all Alec needed- or all he could have handled. The relief flooded him and his head instantly lolled; he fell asleep.

"Don't worry," one of the nurses added, "that's totally normal. He'll be fine. He just need to rest."

"Come back tomorrow," another chimed in as she attached a less invasive oxygen tube to his nose, "he's most likely out for the night."

Sophie, Nate and Eliot looked at each other warily. The relief they felt at Alec's awakening dimmed by the prospect of having to tell him that Parker was nowhere to be found.

"Go home," Eliot exhaled as he sat heavily into the room's lone seat, "I'll call you guys if anything happens. There's no need for all of us to be here."

Nate looked to Sophie and they nodded their agreement to each other.

"I'll be back at nine," Nate announced again as he walked out of the room, "Goodnight."

Sophie looked at Alec's sleeping face once more before she left his side, touching Eliot's shoulder gently as she made her way out of the room behind Nate and Joshua.

One by one, the nurses left the room and Eliot looked over at Alec, "Com'on man," he urged quietly, "You can beat this. You're going to get better and get up and be out of here in no time."

"…and you better hurry up, because I really hate hospitals," Eliot half smiled at the little joke he shared with himself.

He leaned back and rested his head against the wall behind him. Deep sleep was an elusive mistress on a good night; in a hospital, sitting at the foot of his best friend's bed, he knew it would be nearly impossible. But his tired eyes, and tense muscles, demanded a few blissful moments of rest. With a long expulsion of the deep breath he'd been holding, Eliot let himself have a few peaceful moments.

* * *

><p>"This was just the first wave," Sterling announced pensively; the apprehension as clear through the phone as if they'd been speaking face to face.<p>

It was precisely what Nate didn't want to hear first thing in the morning, he gripped the phone tighter.

"Do you have any leads?" Nate asked, pinching the bridge of his nose to soothe the rising tension headache.

"Nothing concrete," Sterling offered, "There's just a lot of smoke and mirrors, a lot of connections that seemingly lead nowhere."

Nate blew out a low groan, "Where's Sonia?"

"She's still in custody," Sterling answered, then quickly added, "…for now."

"What," Nate perked.

"We're having a little trouble making the bigger charges stick," Sterling labored the words.

Nate squeezed his eyes to ease the mounting headache, "If Sonia is freed, she'll be nearly impossible to catch again…and she'll make our lives hell."

Sterling took a breath before he spoke again, "She covered her tracks well, Nate… but I think the bigger picture here is that Sonia nearly succeeded in throwing the world into a state of utter chaos. If she hadn't overplayed her hand or even, perhaps if she was less personally invested with you and your crew, who knows what she would have accomplished."

"What's your point Sterling?" Nate asked impatiently.

"My point is," Sterling hastened, "that we don't know when, or where, or who's going to strike next. And the next time they may not leave anything to chance."

Nate dropped his forehead onto his palm, the frustration and worry settling over him and tightening like a vise.

"We were lucky with Sonia," he breathed as he thought of the damage that she caused- the damage that they were still living through, "I don't know if we have one more in us."

Sterling sighed heavily, "I'll be sure to keep you in the loop."

"Thanks, Sterling," Nate offered genuinely.

"Yeah," Sterling responded evenly.

And they each hung up the phone and sat back in their chairs wondering what fresh bit of hell lurked around the corner.

* * *

><p>His recovery was slow and very painful. Alec's body had become so reliant on the small pacemaker that Sonia had installed, that simple tasks now required three times the effort. He felt as though he was starting from scratch, or had aged considerably. He had to learn his body again. His limbs felt heavy and awkward, and his joints ached and lacked their full range of motion.<p>

The presence of the team, Nate, Sophie, Eliot, and little Joshua, buoyed his spirit and kept him fighting when he didn't think he had another step left in him. They visited every day and even the mundane conversation and silly board games they played with him were a welcome respite from the agitation and sadness he felt when he was alone and forced to think about Parker.

For two weeks, after he'd first woken up, they told him she was fine, just resting. Then when he became aware enough to notice their averted eyes and tense shoulders he asked for the truth and Eliot finally admitted that they didn't know where she was.

Alec felt as though he was back in the dark tunnel from three years ago, all over again. The feeling of loss was so profound it actually physically hurt to think about her. But he couldn't tell them about the sadness that was building inside of him, the ache that hurt worse than his surgery. He just did as he always did and made a way when others couldn't.

Alec pushed his physical therapy so hard he was too spent some evenings to even carry on a conversation. He pushed his body beyond capabilities the doctors- or even he- thought possible, but he had to get out. He had to find Parker.

He wouldn't entertain the thought that she was lost to him again. He would never give up so easily on her. He did once. He didn't go looking for her when she needed him. He wouldn't make that mistake again. Until he saw Parker with his own eyes, he would not stop trying to find her.

So he fought through the pain, the exhaustion, the despair that called like a siren's song, and three weeks earlier than expected, Alec walked out of the hospital and into a small apartment he owned in Los Angeles. He walked to the computer as soon as he and Eliot walked through the door that first night back and there he remained, every day and night, for months.

His need to find her consumed him- more than it did before. And although it worried then, Nate, Sophie and Eliot didn't make any serious attempts to stop him. They realized it was what he needed. They playfully told him he needed to get some fresh air, feel the sun on his face, and they even tried to help where they could but Parker was elusive. There wasn't any sign of her, anywhere.

And he looked everywhere. He scoured the globe, tasked every contact, called in every favor.

Nothing.

At least not until the night the power went.

The rain had been falling for the better part of two days and Alec told Nate and Sophie that it would have been better if they'd kept Joshua at home and out of the rain for a second day. They agreed, but Eliot stopped by anyway. The hitter took the opportunity while the others weren't around, to convince his friend to go easy on himself.

"I'm not saying that you have to give up, Hardison. I'm just saying you're running yourself too thin. You need to be healthy when you find her."

Alec knew he was right. He was so intently focused on his search for Parker that he ignored his hunger, his tiredness, the pain and itching of the scars on his chest, everything. And it was catching up to him. His body was achy and stiff from lack of movement and he'd been getting short, sharp pains in his chest-which he didn't tell anyone about.

"Ok," Alec answered his friend, "I'll take the night off."

Eliot smiled, "Yeah uh huh, sure. You're feeding me that bull to get me out of your hair." He laughed softly as he went to the refrigerator to grab a beer.

"No, I'm serious," Alec assured, getting up from his desk with a slight grimace, "I'm going to watch TV, take a nap, catch up on some light reading. I'll get back to the search tomorrow."

Eliot looked at Alec with a raised eyebrow.

Alec smiled, "I'm ser…."

Just as he was about to further convince Eliot, the room fell into a deep and sudden darkness, punctuated by the eerie glow of the two computer screens and the emergency flood light mounted in the hallway. They were both stunned into silence.

Eliot went to the window and saw that the entire area for a few blocks had gone dark and he immediately began running through contingencies in his mind in case the blackout was an staged attack.

"It's not an attack," Alec called to him, knowing Eliot would have reverted instantly to his training and suspicion.

Technology was always Alec's go to.

"The city's grid suffered a little flooding and they had to shut down as a precaution," he held up his phone so Eliot could see the large EMERGENCY ALERT notice on the electrical company's webpage.

Eliot turned to the window again a different unease raising his hackles.

"People lose their minds when there're no lights," he said more to himself than to his Alec, who'd positioned himself on the large sofa in the living room.

"Are you talking about break-ins?" Alec asked as he rolled his head back and allowed his body to relax for a moment.

"Yup," was all Eliot replied.

"Eliot, get out of here," Alec offered as he watched his friend grow tenser, "There's no power. I can't do anything but go to sleep anyway."

"Who do you think you're fooling? I know you have emergency power?" Eliot responded knowingly.

Alec smiled in spite of himself and at how well his friend knew him, "Yeah, okay, I do, but I'm not going to use it. I'm going to get some rest, I promise." He held up a Boy Scout hand pledge.

Eliot shook his head and smiled, then he turned to look out the window again. By then a larger area had gone dark.

"Yeah, okay. I'm going to head out," he announced as he gathered his coat and made his way out. He turned at the door and looked back to his nearly sleeping friend, "If anything feels strange or…"

Alec interrupted him, "I got it…you'll be the first one I call." He smiled sleepily and Eliot was assured.

The door closed quietly behind the Hitter and plunged the room into silence.

Alec sat on the sofa for a few minutes listening to the rain pelt the window and the distant thunder that was approaching. They were in for another rough night.

He couldn't remember the last time he'd listened to the rain. There was always something to do, something to look at, engage in. He hadn't had opportunity or desire to so something as simple as watch a thunderstorm in a really long time. It was surprisingly pleasant, and he realized, extremely calming. The anxiety in his body eased with each distracted breath he took but as the sleep beckoned he decided to go to his bed.

He walked to the bedroom and realized that his body felt different with just the short time away from his desk- and he also began to realize how sleep deprived he really was.

He kept on his sweatpants but took off the shirt he'd been wearing. They were identical to the pair he'd lent Parker a few months earlier. He made the connection and felt a moment of sadness. Where was she? Was she okay?

He opened the blinds to the large picture window and looked out at the lightshow that nature was providing.

He settled into his bed and leaned back. The cool, soft sheets felt very good as he settled his weight into its center. He chastised himself for all the nights he grabbed a quick half hour nap on the sofa between his research into Parker's whereabouts.

He'd just comfortably arranged himself into a position he'd be able to rest and look out the window when he heard a knock on the door.

He laughed a little as he slowly made it toward the door. He was convinced Eliot was back to prove he wouldn't be able to take the night off.

"I haven't even looked at the computer screen, man," he called to the closed door before he'd even opened it.

But when he twisted the handle and pulled it open the sight before him nearly made his newly minted artificial heart stop in its paces.

There she was, at last: A soaked-to-the-bone Parker, holding a bag of Pretzels.


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50

"I don't like thunder," Parker announced quietly, her head crooked slightly to one side.

All Alec could do was stare, his artificial heart working feverishly in his chest.

"Parker," he mouthed softly, and then he clutched his chest as a sudden, powerful pain ripped through him.

"HARDISON…" Parker yelled as she watched his eyes grow wide and his knees go weak. She tossed the bag of Pretzels into the apartment and grabbed hold of Alec's arm to help guide him inside, closing the door behind them.

"Alec," she called to him anxiously.

"I'm…I'm…good," he answered breathlessly. She guided him to the couch.

"You… just…caught me…by surprise…that's all," he explained as he squeezed his eyes against the pain and tried to make light of her return.

"I'm sorry," she whispered and gently eased him back into a lying position, "Can I get you anything? Would anything help?"

Alec opened his eyes and focused on her against the pain. He looked at her intently.

"Parker?" he called her name surveying her face for every flicker of emotion, searching for something he thought he heard in her voice.

"Yes," she answered questioningly.

"Are you back…" he began but stopped himself thinking the question sounded strange, "I mean…"

She touched his chest and his breath held. He stopped talking and simply stared.

"I know what you mean, Alec," she offered quietly and paused to look away from his gaze, "I remember."

He reached up to touch the hand that she'd rested on his chest.

"How much do you remember?" his voice tight with concern.

Parker looked to the carpeted ground, "Everything," she answered finally. Her voice was whisper soft.

"Oh, Park," he reached over and lifted her chin to bring her eyes back to his.

Tear filled eyes greeted him, and he was undone.

The pain in his chest had faded to a dull ache but the physical pain paled to the brokenness he felt as he looked at her slumped shoulders and lowered head.

There was a lot to remember. He knew he was only aware of a small portion of it- and that small portion was burden enough.

Their gazed held as he tenderly pulled her to him, to ease her against his side so they could lay on the couch side by side.

She silently complied, lost in the warm, dark depths of his eyes, as the tears began rolling leisurely from her eyes.

The couch held them almost exactly. She fit against the curves and angles of his body as if they'd been designed as a pair. He touched her face and she relaxed beneath his palm and closed her eyes.

"I see their faces," she told him softly.

"What" he asked, unsure of what he'd heard.

"I see their faces," she repeated a little louder, "every one of my…objectives. I see their faces and I see their eyes. I see their deaths. I see everything. I can't stop seeing it." Her voice and the speed of her words kept raising but her eyes remained closed. "I've done really bad things..."

"Shhhh…." He stroked her face and kissed her forehead.

"Parker," he called to her quietly, "look at me."

Her eyes opened slowly.

"I need you to listen to my very carefully," he urged slowly and she nodded, looking up at him with water-logged eyes.

"That was not you," he continued slower still, "none of what you did, none of it, was you. Do you hear me?"

Parker swallowed again and blinked fresh tears loose.

"None of it. Do you understand?" Alec repeated firmly and she finally nodded before closing her eyes and wrapping her arms around him, settling her head into the crook of his neck, so his head rested on hers.

They held each other tightly for a few minutes in the dark until she began to shiver slightly and he remembered that she'd been drenched.

"Oh man, we have to get you out of these wet clothes," he urged and she pulled her face out of its cozy harbor.

"That would be nice," she responded with a small, watery smile and slowly pulled fully out of his embrace.

She sat at the edge of the couch as he gradually stood and went into his bedroom closet to retrieve warm dry clothes for them both. He chose another comfortable sweat suit that they'd share and he changed into the dry bottoms before reaching for a tee shirt to finish dressing.

"Wait…" he heard her call from the doorway and turned to see her standing there leaning against the frame.

Their eyes met and held and he lowered the shirt he was about to put on as she walked toward him, her gaze leaving his eyes and scanning the crescent-shaped scar that cupped the left half of his chest.

He took a shallow breath and swallowed the rush of saliva that filled his mouth as she stood before him and reached out to trace her fingers along the still-healing scar.

"Are you okay?" she asked without looking at him. He could hear the emotion in her voice.

He swallowed again, suddenly finding it hard to speak. He reached to hold the hand at his chest and Parker's eyes found his again.

"I'm okay... now," he assured her and touched her face.

Without another word, he unzipped her thin leather jacket and eased it off of her shoulders, his eyes never leaving hers but when he grimaced as he tried to stretch his arm too far down her side, she stopped him and shepherded him to the bed to sit.

Then, as he watched, she slowly reached for the hem of her shirt and lifted it over her head and let it fall behind her.

Alec couldn't tear his gaze away from hers, even as she unhooked the back-clasps of her brassiere and let it fall away as well.

He swallowed again.

Parker reached for the button of her jeans and unfastened it and pulled the zipper down with one fluid motion. Then she inched the tight, dark-colored pants down her legs, slowly and let them pool around her feet before she stepped gingerly away from them.

She stood before him for a moment, perfectly still, gazing earnestly into his eyes. He itched to reach out and pull her to him but he knew he couldn't, that she would go to him when she was ready.

Then she reached for the waist of her final piece of clothing, her panty. She hooked her thumbs at the top and slowly rolled them off, bending to remove them one foot after the other and dropped the thin, cotton garment beside her jeans.

Parker straightened up and looked at Alec and held his stare as the lightning storm outside dropped periodic splashes of light on her skin.

"No one has ever known me like you do, or cared for me, or fought for me like you have," she spoke against the tightness in her throat, "This is all of me."

His own throat grew tight and the rims of his eyes stung slightly.

"You… have all of me," she finished and expelled a quick breath, releasing some of the tension in her shoulders.

He stood then, compelled by some invisible force, and reached for her. With one hand at her waist and another at her cheek, he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her softly. He couldn't find the words to tell her how much he loved her in that moment so he put all of the tenderness and emotion he felt into the weight of his kiss. Parker wrapped her arms around his neck and Alec pulled her closer with both of his arms around her waist.

Nothing else mattered. If the world would stop spinning right then and there, Alec knew he wouldn't have wanted more than that one moment with Parker in his arms. The woman he fell in love with, not once, but two separate times.

Her skin was exquisitely soft and she warmed right there in his arms. As the kiss deepened and he felt his body responding and hungrily wanting to fully express the depth of his feelings for her, Alec pulled himself away. He didn't want to confuse her admission and his response with anything else. There would be time. When he was a little more healed, and she was less shell shocked, less vulnerable, they would make love to each other and it would be as intense and explosive as it always promised to be, but in that moment…

He pulled out of her embrace but she didn't object. He pulled out a pair of shorts and took her hand to lead her to the bed. He reached for the sweatshirt and slid it over her arms and head until it swallowed her up. Then he sat at the edge of the bed and helped her into the shorts one leg at a time as she held his face between her hands.

"And you, have all of me," he finally managed softly.

Alec moved backward on the bed then and Parker followed, easing next to him as he lay down.

He lay on his back as he found the position the most comfortable with his scars and Parker tucked herself into his side. They fell into an easy silence for a little while as they listened to the storm rage outside.

"Parker," Alec began tentatively, "did the doctors get a chance to check you out?"

He felt her shrug against his side.

"When I first woke up," she started, "I didn't know where I was. Nothing felt real. I thought…I thought maybe I was dead. Then I started getting flashes of…everything…."

She paused and he reached around her to hold her, to remind her that he was there.

"Things started to become clear, to line up," she continued, "I couldn't stay there. I didn't let anyone start asking me questions or start digging around in my head….I didn't know who I could trust…So I left."

She paused again and reached for his hand at her side.

"I think I was looking for you," she added.

Alec perked at the confession, "Me? Why?"

Parker shrugged again, "Honestly, I'm not sure," she answered evenly, "but as things got clearer, I had this unexplainable feeling that you were the only person I could totally trust…with my life."

He turned to her, lost for words again.

"You can, you know," he whispered, "you can trust me…with your life."

She smiled a small, shy smile at him, just as a storm burst bathed her face in brief light, "I know."

They fell again into an easy, contented silence until the rhythm of the wind and rain beyond their window lulled them nearly to sleep. He wanted to ask her where she'd gone when she left the hospital, what she'd done, if she'd had any pain at all but somehow none of that seemed important. She was there, with him, and it was enough.

"Alec," Parker called to him from behind closed eyes, "I don't think this thing with Sonia is finished."

Alec opened his eyes and looked at her, "why do you say that?" he asked her quietly.

"It's a feeling," she replied, "and I remember some things."

He watched how her breathing evened, she was very near to sleep.

"Okay," he answered softly, coaxingly, "We'll slay dragons tomorrow; tonight we're going to sleep."

Parker nodded once, heavily, and promptly fell into the first deep sleep she'd had in over three years.

Alec watched her sleeping until the first light of the soggy morning spilled into his window.

Sleep left him as soon as Parker had mentioned Sonia. He didn't know if it was his paranoia that Parker would disappear again if he closed his eyes, or that he wasn't sure himself if she was really there. He didn't know if it was the uneasy chill that rode his spine at her foreshadowing, or the immensity of everything all at once settling upon him.

He knew one thing for certain, he'd never again let anything or anyone harm the woman in his arms. And he'd go to _any_ lengths to ensure that promise.


End file.
